Panathinaikos responded after the defeat in the Peace and Friendship Stadium by defeating Olympiacos 68-58 in OAKA, tying the Stoiximan GBL finals series at 1-1.
A big star for Ergyn Ataman’s team was Nigel Hayes-Davis, who after a mediocre performance in the first game stepped up when his team needed him most, leading the Greens to victory.
The point that decided the game
Although Olympiacos was in control in the first half and even led 27-18 midway through the second quarter, Panathinaikos closed the gap and went into the locker room trailing by just one point (29-30).
The decisive moment came in the third quarter. The home team went on a 19-8 run, found a rhythm through their defense and got back-to-back big shots from Hayes-Davis to take a double-digit lead (48-38).
In the last quarter Panathinaikos maintained control, even got as high as +14 (57-43) and did not allow Olympiacos to really get back into contention.
The picture of the two teams
Panathinaikos appeared tougher defensively, more focused and more effective in the crucial points, while Olympiacos had a lot of trouble finding solutions in the offensive end, especially after the break.
The Reds relied mainly on Evan Fournier and Sasha Vezenkov, but failed to keep up with the pace of the hosts in the second half.
The rest of the finals
The series now moves to the Peace and Friendship Stadium, where Olympiacos will host Panathinaikos in Game 3 (8/6, 21:00), with the two teams now tied 1-1 and the title battle essentially starting all over again.
