Surprise loss for Panathinaikos
PAOK stunned basketball champion Panathinaikos on Saturday to claim a 77-76 win in overtime in Thessaloniki and catch up with AEK in the table. Playing without guards Dimitris Diamantidis and Sarunas Jasikevicius, Panathinaikos trailed PAOK during most of the match and is now three points behind Olympiakos, which has now mathematically clinched the regular season’s top spot. The Reds defeated struggling Trikala 81-60 in Piraeus. Maroussi scored a precious win over Panellinios to snatch the fourth spot from the Kypseli side. Maroussi won 84-81 and is level on points with Panellinios, but has a better head-to-head record. Elsewhere, Panionios thrashed Aegaleo 76-53 away, Kolossos dismissed Olympia 73-62 at Larissa, Aris beat AEL Larissa 77-62 to secure the third spot in the regular season, while Kavala ensured it is staying up with its 73-59 victory over AEK. The next round of games will take place on Wednesday, with the biggest match between Panellinios and Olympiakos.
