Fenerbahçe Ülker trashed by Panathinaikos in Athens

ATHENS

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In a historic night in competition history, Panathinaikos Athens tied a club record with 18 three-pointers made to defeat Fenerbahçe Ülker 91-73 in Group C.

Dimitris Diamantidis became the first player to reach 1,000 career assists in the Euroleague, finishing the game with 10 assists, which is 1 short of his career best. A.J. Slaughter added 23 points on 7-of-10 three-point shooting. Esteban Batista scored 14, while Antonis Fotsis netted 13 of 4 for 4 from downtown for Panathinaikos.

Nemanja Bjelica scored 16 for Fenerbahçe, while Jan Vesely added 13 and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 10 for the visiting side.

Diamantidis reached the 1,000-assist mark on the opening play of the game, feeding Slaughter for a three-point shot. Slaughter and an outstanding Batista gave Panathinaikos a double-digit margin, 31-19, after 10 minutes.

A red-hot Slaughter soon led Panathinaikos to break the game open, 41-21. Panathinaikos hit 10 of 12 three-pointers before the break to boost its margin to 59-36 at halftime.

Nothing changed in the second half, as Panathinaikos stayed hot from beyond the arc and kept a safe margin until the final buzzer.

Both teams are now tied in Group C, each with a 2-1 record.

“It was a very important game for us and I liked very much he atmosphere in the arena. The fans pushed us from the beginning of the game and gave a lot of confidence to the players,” Said Panathinaikos coach Dusko Ivanovic.

Panathinaikos fans also paid tribute to Fenerbahçe Ülker coach Zeljko Obradovic, who headed the team in its glrious times.

“I didn’t hear the crowd shouting my name,” said Ivanovic.  “The fans were shouting for Obradovic and he deserves it, because he is a legend for Panathinaikos and he did so many things happen here. I would say that he should deserve a monument in his honor.”

Obradovic, on the other hand, ws furious with his team after the game.

“I will try to change some things, but to be honest I feel shame for the image of Fenerbahçe Ülker in front of this crowd,” he said.

“I also feel shame because our fans set a new tickets’ record this season and we disappointed them. Maybe it is a matter of tradition. Fenerbahçe Ülker has won six national championships and Panathinaikos has 34, so it is a big difference between the two clubs and that was a factor tonight,” the klegendary coach added.