Panathinaikos overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Maccabi Tel Aviv 91-87 in the first game of their EuroLeague quarterfinal series. The hosts trailed by eight at the break but rallied in the third quarter to take a 70-63 lead. Maccabi fought back to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but Panathinaikos regained the lead and held on for the narrow victory.
Bonzie Colson led the way for Panathinaikos with 18 points, while Lorenzo Brown added 16 and Wade Baldwin contributed 15 before leaving with an injury. Kostas Sloukas scored 12 points and Jerian Grant had 11 for Panathinaikos.
Josh Nebo hit two crucial free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory for Maccabi. The win gives Panathinaikos a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 2 will be played in Athens on Thursday.
In the other quarterfinal series, defending champion Anadolu Efes lost to Real Madrid 93-85 in overtime. Walter Tavares had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Real Madrid, while Shane Larkin led Efes with 20 points. The series is tied 1-1 and will resume in Madrid on Thursday.
