Euroleague

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.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos finished their year with relatively easy Euroleague wins, as the Greens defeated visiting Red Star Belgrade on Thursday and the Reds overcame lowly Alba in Berlin on Friday.

Panathinaikos played in front of a capacity crowd at the Olympic Sports Hall and won 82-65 for its 10th victory in 17 games.

Panathinaikos made it two out of two on the road this week in the Euroleague, as it followed its win at Monaco with a triumph at Armani Milano on Friday, just one hour after Olympiakos scored a road win of its own, downing Villeurbanne at Lyon.

The Reds overcame its lowly host with an 85-73 score in France to reach an 8-8 record.

Basketball is a funny old game. You may lead throughout the match like Olympiakos did at Milan and lose in the end due to a lapse of concentration in the last few minutes, while you may also trail for most of the game, like Panathinaikos did at Monaco, and still snatch victory with a last-ditch effort.

Olympiakos returned to winning ways in Europe with a win over Bayern Munich on Friday, but Panathinaikos suffered a third loss in succession on Thursday, going down to Euroleague leader Real Madrid.

The Reds defeated their German visitors 77-69 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on a rather comfortable evening for the Greek champion.

Tuesday brought a second loss in a row for Panathinaikos and Olympiakos in the Euroleague, but while the Greens lost on the road to Efes, the Reds went down at home to Real Madrid.

In Turkey, Panathinaikos pushed Efes all the way but eventually succumbed with a 71-68 score.

Both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos suffered defeats on the road on Thursday for the Euroleague, probably not doing themselves any justice for their efforts in Belgrade and Monaco respectively.

The Greens went down 92-87 at Partizan in overtime, after wasting a 10-point led in the last few minutes of regulation.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos are gradually improving their position on the Euroleague table, thanks also to their wins at the start of another double week.

The Greens edged out visiting Zalgiris Kaunas in Athens with a 73-71 score in a very tight game that the Lithuanians very nearly snatched away from their hosts.

Panathinaikos secured its first road in this season's Euroleague beating Alba in Berlin, while Olympiakos suffered an unexpected home reverse to Baskonia.

The Greens dominated the game in Germany and deservedly won 99-85 to improve their record to 3-4 and enter the top eight spots that lead to the playoffs.

Home advantage told for Olympiakos and Panathinaikos this week in the Euroleague, with the Reds beating Anadolu Efes and the Greens outscoring Baskonia.

Olympiakos was a class above Efes on Thursday and deserved its 18-point triumph (75-57) at home in front of a capacity crowd at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.