UPDATE:

Panathinaikos easily and simply defeated Olympiacos 80–68 at OAKA and took a 1–0 lead in the Stoiximan Basket League finals series.

Grant led with 17 points, followed by Nunn and Osman. Vezenkov finished with 20 points but couldn’t help his team, which dropped in performance in the second half.

The next final will be held on Sunday (21:00) at SEF.

The Match

Panathinaikos entered the first final with more enthusiasm and, thanks to two consecutive three-pointers by Jerian Grant, jumped out to a 6–0 lead. However, Olympiacos quickly recovered and, with a 7–0 run of their own, took the lead at 6–7. Mustafa Fall’s offensive rebounds (6 pts, 4 rebs) were key in getting Olympiacos back into the game, while Sasha Vezenkov (8 pts, 5 rebs) was his team’s consistent force. Olympiacos kept the lead briefly (13–15 and 18–19) before the quarter ended with Panathinaikos ahead by the slimmest margin (20–19).

In that period, the “Greens” (Grant 9 pts, 3/3 3PT) had shot 4/8 on two-pointers, 4/7 on threes, and dished 5 assists for just 1 turnover, while Olympiacos shot 8/15 on twos, just 1/4 on threes, had twice as many rebounds (12 vs. 6), and also 5 assists for 1 turnover. In fact, the “Reds” managed to take the lead 22–25 three minutes into the second quarter. That’s when Kendrick Nunn took over.

The American guard picked up where Jerian Grant left off and led Panathinaikos on a 15–3 run to build a 9-point lead (37–28) by the 17th minute. The home team had found momentum and brought the crowd into the game. However, Fall and Peters didn’t allow the gap to widen (38–33 at 18’), and the half closed with Panathinaikos up by 8 (42–34).

Nunn had scored 14 points (1/4 2PT, 4/7 3PT, 1 ast.) in the first half (11 of them in the 2nd quarter), while Grant added 11 (1/1 2PT, 3/3 3PT). Panathinaikos shot 10/17 on twos, 7/16 on threes, 1/3 free throws, had a 14–3 rebound edge, 10 assists, 4 turnovers, and 5 steals. For Olympiacos, Fall (9 pts, 5 rebs), Vezenkov (9 pts, 5 rebs), and Peters (9 pts, 4 rebs, 2 ast.) stood out, with the team overall posting 11/23 twos, 3/12 threes, 3/7 free throws, 14–9 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 turnovers, and 2 steals.

The lead returned to +9 for Panathinaikos (47–38) shortly after the second half began. Unlike the first half, Olympiacos players started hitting from beyond the arc with Fournier and Vezenkov. They once again capitalized on offensive rebounds to extend their possessions. The score margin reached +10 (54–44 at 26’) and then +12 (56–44) as Panathinaikos went on a 7–0 run.

Sasha Vezenkov (15 pts, 6 rebs) cut the lead down for Olympiacos by the end of the 3rd quarter, with Panathinaikos still holding an 8-point lead (58–50). The home team had 16/26 twos, 9/23 threes, 1/3 free throws, 23–5 rebound advantage, 16 assists, 7 turnovers, and 6 steals, while Olympiacos posted 14/30 twos, 5/20 threes, 7/12 free throws, 20–10 rebounds, 14 assists, 7 turnovers, and 5 steals.

Although Panathinaikos led by 10 points (62–52 at 32’), Olympiacos didn’t give up. Mustafa Fall arguably had his best game of the season, being a constant headache for the home defense. He was dominant in the paint, causing problems for Ataman’s team. Still, Panathinaikos managed to maintain a 10-point lead (71–61 at 36’) with Jerian Grant having an outstanding night.

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So, it’s Panathinaikos AKTOR versus Olympiacos in the finals—something that’s happening for the 22nd time in the history of the professional league, with previous meetings in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, and now again in 2024.

The “Greens” are making their 29th appearance in the Stoiximan GBL playoff finals, having missed out only in 1994, 1997, and 2002. (Note: no playoffs were held in 2020.) Out of their previous 28 finals appearances, they have secured the championship title 20 times. Just like last season, Panathinaikos AKTOR holds home-court advantage—an advantage they’ve capitalized on in 20 out of 21 cases. The only exception was in 1993, when they lost 1–3 to Olympiacos.

The “Reds” (Olympiacos) are heading into their 25th finals series in the history of the Stoiximan GBL. They were absent in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2019, as well as during the two seasons when they were out of the top division (2019–21). Out of their 24 previous finals appearances, they’ve won 10 series—only one of which came without home-court advantage: in 1993, when they beat Panathinaikos AKTOR 3–1.