PAOK defeats Mykonos 88-85 in Greek Basket League opener behind late Osman three-pointer

Early Mykonos control

Mykonos established an early advantage in the opening fixture of the Stoiximan Greek Basket League season, building a 14-4 lead across the first five minutes. Dionysis Skoulidas and Brynton Appleby converted perimeter shots, while Johnathan Childs scored inside against PAOK's interior defense. PAOK struggled with turnovers in the opening minutes, including consecutive miscues by Vassilis Bazinas and an uncontested missed dunk by Josh Gray. Head coach Andrea Trinchieri rotated his bench at the five-minute mark, introducing Trevor Hudgins, Kyle Alexander, and Cedi Osman to steady the lineup. Despite individual scoring from Nick Calathes and Osman, PAOK converted only 1 of its 9 three-point attempts before halftime. Mykonos maintained a 17-14 lead after the first quarter and carried a 37-32 advantage into the locker room behind scoring from Jermaine Love and Colin Cannady.

Second-half turnaround

PAOK increased its defensive intensity and found offensive rhythm from the perimeter immediately after the restart. Consecutive three-pointers from Osman and Naz Mitrou-Long erased the deficit to tie the score at 44-44 in the 24th minute. Osman followed with another shot from beyond the arc in the 25th minute, securing PAOK's first lead of the evening. The Thessaloniki club converted 6 of 10 three-point attempts across the first 15 minutes of the second half, stretching its margin to 55-48. Mykonos resisted through former PAOK guard Jermaine Love, who generated five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 55-53, allowing PAOK to enter the fourth quarter leading 60-58.

Decisive final minutes

The final period remained closely contested as Trevor Hudgins made two consecutive three-pointers to lift PAOK to a 70-63 lead in the 33rd minute. Mykonos countered with baskets from Dimitris Tigkas and DJ Funderburk, trimming the margin to 78-75 by the 37th minute. Nick Calathes scored from beyond the arc with 93 seconds remaining to extend PAOK's cushion, but Love answered with two straight three-pointers, the second tying the game at 83-83 with 52.5 seconds left. Following an offensive rebound by Kyle Alexander on a missed layup, Osman made a corner three-pointer with 28 seconds remaining to put PAOK ahead 86-83. Hudgins secured the result by making two free throws in the closing seconds after Love missed a game-tying three-point attempt.

Individual performances and next fixtures

PAOK produced six double-digit scorers to secure the 88-85 away win, led by Osman with 18 points on 3-of-4 two-point and 3-of-8 three-point shooting. Mitrou-Long scored 14 points, while Calathes contributed 12 points and seven assists. Hudgins added 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, and both Alexander and Marcus Foster scored 11 points. For Mykonos, Love led all scorers with 25 points, supported by Funderburk with 15 points and five rebounds, and Cannady with 12 points. Both clubs return to league action on 10 October 2026 at 16:00, when PAOK hosts Doxa Lefkadas and Mykonos plays away against Maroussi in Athens.