Panathinaikos takes Game 1 against Olympiacos

Panathinaikos Athens snatched the early initiative in the Greek A1 Finals series against archrival Olympiacos Piraeus at home on Thursday. The two clubs are renewing hostilities after decades of being the two main clubs in Greek Basketball, and their finals series will decide which club will win the league this season.

Panathinaikos is hoping for its 14th championship in 16 years, while Olympiacos is vying for just its second in that time. Game 1 of the Final showed that it will be another close fought series between the clubs, but the Athens juggernaut prevailed to snatch a narrow 59-56 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Panathinaikos vs. Olympiacos, 59-56

Panathinaikos got off to the perfect start by closing shop at the defensive end. The Greens were well organized from the first tip-off and commanded the opening quarter to lead comfortably by 19 points to 6 after 10 minutes. Olympiacos improved in the second frame and the visitors rallied to win the quarter 16-20, although it was Panathinaikos who held a 35-26 lead at the midway point. That nine-point cushion proved pivotal as the third quarter was much tighter, with the hosts winning it 16-15 to hold a double-digit lead after half an hour of play (51-41). The Reds looked down and out, but a strong closing quarter put the Piraeus club within touching distance, but ultimately Panathinaikos held on to take Game 1 in the series.

The home team scored 91.7% of its free throws (22 from 24) to punish the 24 personal fouls conceded by Olympiacos. In contrast, The Reds were much more inconsistent from the charity stripe, collecting just five points from the line.

Jonas Maciulis logged 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winners, while Stephane Lasme and James Gist secured 11 points and 6 rebounds each.

Stratos Perperoglou led Olympiacos with a game-high 16 points, while Bryant Dunston secured 13 points and 6 rebounds.