Panathinaikos Starts EuroLeague Season 3-0 for First Time Since 2011

Panathinaikos secured a 90-67 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Friday at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, with 17,003 spectators present for the third round of the EuroLeague. This win brings the team's record to three victories in three matches, placing coach Zeljko Obradovic's squad at the top of the standings alongside Fenerbahçe, Valencia, and Partizan Belgrade. Maccabi's record now stands at 0-3.

The Greek team established their lead early, outscoring Maccabi 25-10 in the first quarter and holding a 43-24 advantage by halftime. They finished the game hitting 15 of 39 three-point attempts and recorded 22 assists.

Guerschon Yabusele Leads Scoring

Starting player Guerschon Yabusele was the game's top scorer, contributing 17 points in 23 minutes. He made 3 of 5 two-point attempts, 3 of 5 three-pointers, and went 2 of 2 from the free-throw line. Sylvain Francisco, who joined from ASVEL this summer, added 11 points and 4 assists in 21 minutes. Despite an 1-of-8 shooting performance from beyond the arc, he compensated with 6 successful free throws out of 8 attempts. Mathias Lessort contributed 7 points and 3 rebounds, earning an efficiency rating of 11 in 20 minutes.

Nigel Hayes-Davis, returning from injury, posted the highest efficiency rating of 18, with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Konstantinos Mitoglou secured 8 rebounds. For the Israeli side, Roman Sorkin scored 13 points.

Coach Obradovic was still without Kendrick Nunn, Kostas Sloukas, Juancho Hernangomez, and Moustapha Fall, who were not on the roster for the game. Fall is the fourth French player on the team. Prior to facing Maccabi, Panathinaikos had already defeated Paris Basketball 91-72 in the season opener and ASVEL 102-79. All three initial games were played at home.

Unprecedented Start Since Obradovic's Last Athens Stint

This is the first time Panathinaikos has begun an EuroLeague season with three consecutive wins since the 2011-12 season, which was Obradovic's final season in Athens before his departure in the summer of 2012. That season, they defeated Malaga (98-77), Zagreb on the road (62-81), and Zalgiris Kaunas (92-75). This marks the club's sixth 3-0 start in 26 EuroLeague seasons, with their best performance being an eleven-game winning streak to open the 2006-07 season. The Serbian coach returned to Athens in June on a three-season contract.

The team's next challenge is at home against Fenerbahçe on Thursday, October 8th, who are also undefeated. Panathinaikos will then travel to face Partizan Belgrade on October 13th.