Basketball in Greece

GENEVA - Partizan Belgrade were on Friday drawn to play PAOK Thessaloniki in the FIBA Basketball Champions League play-offs.

The first game of the tie will take place in Thessaloniki on February 7 or 8, with the return leg to be played two weeks later in Belgrade.

Tanjug file photo, T. Valic

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Olympiakos dismissed the challenge of German visitor Bamberg on Friday in Piraeus to stay in touch with Euroleague leaders CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid,  as Panathinaikos went down at in-form Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.

Olympiakos missed a great chance to go top of the Euroleague table, going down at Armani Milano on Wednesday, but Panathinaikos made the most of its home advantage to beat Barcelona on Tuesday and stay joint fifth with 11 wins in 19 games.

New boys Promitheas gave a real scare to Panathinaikos on Saturday before the Greens emerged victorious from a tricky clash in Patra for the Basket League, to stay one point behind unbeaten leader Olympiakos one week before hosting the Reds.

Olympiakos edged even closer to a top-four finish in the regular season of the Euroleague after thrashing Baskonia at home on Friday, while Panathinaikos will likely have to settle for a spot between the fifth and the eighth after suffering a bad reverse at Fenerbahce on Thursday.

Panathinaikos and Aris will contest the 2017 Greek Cup Final on February 19, as the Greens scored their first win over Olympiakos this season after three defeats - and away from home too - while Aris overcame AEK in Thessaloniki with a last-gasp effort.

Greek teams swept their opponents with five wins in as many European games this week, as Olympiakos and Panathinaikos boosted their chances for a high finish at the Euroleague group stage.

Olympiakos beat Panathinaikos for the third time in as many games so far this season, this time triumphing by eight (77-69) for the Euroleague in Piraeus on Friday.

An improved Panathinaikos from the first two games against its eternal rival remained second-best to the Reds but stayed close in the score almost throughout the game.

Kolossos Rhodes forced AEK's third loss in the Basket League this season on Monday, allowing fourth-placed Aris to cut the distance to just one point from its Athens rival for the third spot, ahead of their clash in the capital in the next round of games.

"The German finance minister never wanted the Greek program to succeed," Telecoms & Media Minister Nikos Pappas said on Saturday referring to Wolfgang Schaeuble, one of Athens's staunchest critics.