The 85-79 win over Baskonia on Thursday, 22 October, lifted Panathinaikos to 6-1 in the Euroleague standings, ahead of Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, both at 5-1.
Francisco's three for 82-79 with 69 seconds left and a late three from Yabusele decided the game after Baskonia had levelled at 79-79.
Matias Lessort scored 20 points for Panathinaikos, while Nigel Hayes-Davis added 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Panathinaikos beat Baskonia 85-79 at Telekom Center Athens in the 7th round of the Euroleague on Thursday, 22 October. The win moved the Greek club to 6-1 and left it alone at the top of the standings, while Baskonia fell to 1-6. Panathinaikos will wait for the winner of the Olympiacos versus Fenerbahce derby, which is scheduled for Friday, 23 October, to learn who joins it at the summit.
The game was far from comfortable for the home side. Panathinaikos started with a 13-9 lead after five minutes, helped by Nigel Hayes-Davis, who scored nine quick points, but its defence loosened and Baskonia moved ahead 21-20 by the end of the first quarter. Matias Lessort gave the home side energy in the second quarter, with dunks and close-range finishes, and Panathinaikos led 43-40 at halftime.
Panathinaikos went up by as many as nine points in the third quarter and led 63-54 going into the final period. Baskonia then clawed back, taking a 70-69 lead before Panathinaikos responded. Nikolas Nan hit a three, and Lessort's basket extended the margin to 79-72. Baskonia tied the score at 79-79 with 1 minute and 29 seconds left, before Francisco hit a three for an 82-79 lead with 69 seconds remaining.
Hayes-Davis finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Francisco added 10 points and 11 assists, though he also committed five turnovers. Lessort was the top scorer for Panathinaikos with 20 points, according to NewsIT. Panathinaikos shot 1 of 7 from three-point range in the first quarter and went to the locker room with two made threes from 13 attempts beyond 6.75 metres.
Hapoel Tel Aviv beat Virtus Bologna 90-81 on Wednesday, 21 October. Anadolu Efes beat Besiktas 89-80, Dubai BC beat Bayern Munich 107-91, Real Madrid beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 113-99, Barcelona beat Armani Milan 89-81, and Partizan beat Crvena Zvezda 85-82 in overtime on Thursday, 22 October. Partizan's win came in a derby marked by incidents.
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Panathinaikos hosts Armani Milan at Telekom Center Athens on Tuesday, 27 October, at 21:15. Olympiacos hosts Fenerbahce on Friday, 23 October, at 21:15, while Zalgiris and Villeurbanne play at 20:00 and Paris and Valencia at 21:45 the same day.
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Panathinaikos came from behind in the final minutes at Telekom Center Athens, with late three-pointers from Sylvain Francisco and Gerson Yabusele settling the game. The win lifts the Greek side to 6-1 and leaves it alone at the top of the table after the 7th round.
AI text based on reports by NewsIT, in.gr, NEWS 24/7 and other publishers. Published .