• Classification: This is the Euroleague

There is no way to intuit where the Baskonia will breathe this season. One day it shines and the next it sinks, without solid arguments to explain why something like this happens. Surely you do not understand Velimir Perasovic , who runs out of ideas to make this Baskonia a regular and reliable team. This Thursday, after three straight wins against CSKA, Khimki and Valencia, he played a thunderous new defeat against Panathinaikos (100-68). Between Calathes (12 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds) and Fredette (21 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds) they sank the Barca team, which at no time felt comfortable in Athens and died as soon as its initial superiority in the offensive rebound. [Narration and statistics]

Baskonia faced this duel with the tranquility of the two wins against CSKA and Khimki last week, but also with the regret of Garino's absence for the remainder of the season. A drop for which there is no replacement at the moment and that adds to that of Granger , fallen out of favor in the first duel of the season and which is not expected back at least until spring. Those two absences leave Perasovic's external rotation in only five players, including Vildoza , who was expected to assume gallons of leadership this season and is experiencing a major game crisis.

With those wicks, and waiting for the former NBA Stauskas to finish coupling (or not) to European basketball, Shengelia emerges as the only guarantee reference. An unbeatable reference, yes, but only after all. Insufficient for the Euroleague requirement. So when the Georgian has a performance below the outstanding (11 points, 4/13 in field shots, and 6 rebounds in Athens) or when the opponent focuses on deactivating him, Baskonia feels a deep orphanhood for which he does not find some comfort. And that was exactly what happened in Athens, where the duel of stars between Shengelia and Calathes was clearly resolved in favor of the Greek.

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The eight offensive rebounds captured in the first quarter allowed Baskonia to make up the best game deployed by Panathinaikos. He already warned, however, Pitino's team of what would come next, with a 12-1 run to counter the initial 5-10 in favor of the Vitorians. Two consecutive Stauskas triples served to cut the bleeding and catch air, but it was a tiny patch for a wound that had just begun to bleed.

Calathes grabbed the controls of the clash in the second quarter, with a pass recital that shone even more compared to the difficulties Baskonia had to circulate the ball in attack. Vildoza did not find inspiration and Henry was never a great passer, a recurring problem of the Perasovic team that must strive to correct. The PAO, in short, came to rest with 10 points of advantage (46-36) and the feeling of having the game in hand.

The third part finished undressing the shame of Baskonia. The dominance in the rebound was balanced and since the Greeks were better in the rest of the facets, they passed over the Catalans, with a Fredette recital, which completed the best game of their life in Euroleague. The last quarter started with a 21-point advantage for the Greeks against a mentally rendered Baskonia who left Vitoria back with a tough defeat, extended to 32 points in the final minutes.

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