SPORTS

Big win for Greens, tight one for Reds

Panathinaikos scored a crucial as well as emphatic away win at Turow on Thursday that should see it qualify from its tough group to the top 16 of the Euroleague, while Olympiakos saw off visiting Valencia by the skin of its teeth at home to remain unbeaten and qualify mathematically to the second group stage.

Unfazed by the absence of Antonis Fotsis, the Greens grabbed their first win on the road in the Euroleague, and the fourth overall in six games, with a solid performance in Poland that saw them down Turow 79-69.

The Greek champion led for virtually the entire game, stretching its advantage in the last quarter up to 23 points (78-55), driven by the spectacular front line of Loukas Mavrokefalidis and James Gist.

Mavrokefalidis actually scored a Euroleague career record of 21 points, with Gist adding another 16.

Olympiakos beat Valencia 77-76 in a game that was decided in the last shot of the game that the Spaniards missed. The Reds may have extended their perfect record to six out of six in Europe, but this performance in front of their fans should serve as a warning against complacency.

Captain Vassilis Spanoulis was the hero once again scoring the last four points for the Piraeus team as Olympiakos overturned a 10-point deficit in the last quarter (64-54).

Spanoulis notched up 15 points, along with seven assists and six steals, while Bryant Dunston scored 14 points.

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