Mathias Lessort

The serious injury to Mathias Lessort overshadowed the imposing performance of Panathinaikos and its 35-point win over visiting Baskonia, while Olympiakos narrowly avoided a costly home reverse to bottom team Alba Berlin, as the Euroleague regular season reached its halfway point.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were unable to meet the challenge of their second games this week and suffered painful Euroleague losses - in different circumstances.

The Greens lost 91-73 at Partizan Belgrade on Thursday in one of their worst performances this season, to an opponent whose coach (Zeljko Obradovic) knows them very well.

Reds and Greens recovered from their losses in the Euroleague last week and started this double week with significant victories.

Panathinaikos fended off the mighty challenge of Barcelona to emerge victorious from the game in Athens with a 90-89 score on Tuesday.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos had opposite results on the road on Friday in the Euroleague, two days before they face off for the Basket League in Piraeus. The Greek champion triumphed in Turkey over Fenerbahce, while Olympiakos slumped to a 2-3 record surrendering to Bayern Munich.

Panathinaikos performed better compared to their match against Paris, but it wasn’t enough against the “wounded” Real Madrid.

Olympiakos started off in the Euroleague with a loss at Fenerbahce, after holder Panathinaikos had to work harder than expected to defeat Alba in Berlin.

The Greens won 87-77 on Thursday at one of the least fancied teams in the new Euroleague, and at the city they had won the trophy just a few months ago.

It has been 31 years since the death of Dražen Petrović, the “Mozart of basketball,” but no one has forgotten him.

The Croatian basketball player, who “bombarded” the opposing baskets and “shattered” defenses with both Yugoslavia and later Croatia, as well as with the jerseys of Cibona, Real, Šibenik, Nets, and Blazers, died in a car accident in June 1993 at the age of 28.

Panathinaikos reduced its arrears on Monday as it won Game 3 of the final series with Olympiakos, to take the best-of-five finals to a fourth game.

The Greens won 83-76 at the Olympic Sports Hall to make the score 2-1 and take the series to the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Wednesday.

Greece's Euroleague representatives recorded statement victories on the road this week, showing they could both reach the Final Four of the tournament at the end of the season.

Panathinaikos beat Real Madrid in Spain on Thursday for the first time in 11 years, with an emphatic 97-86 score and a performance that should be the compass for the rest of the remaining away games.

Panathinaikos crushed Monaco in Athens on Thursday and has stayed in the top four of the Euroleague table, while Olympiakos suffered a second loss in Spain in 48 hours, this time going down at Baskonia on Friday.

After one of its most emphatic performances this season, Panathinaikos dismissed Monaco 88-63 for its 13th victory in 21 games.