Panathinaikos vs Fenerbahce

In an attempt to take the lead in the EuroLeague, the in-form Fenerbahce will travel to play Panathinaikos. They are in second place right now and have won two more games than their hosts, who are in fifth place.

Recently, Panathinaikos has faltered in Europe, which has caused them to fall further behind in the competition for the top slot. Prior to their recent slump in performance, the Greek powerhouses had won five straight games and were now in second place in the competition.

They are currently three victories behind and have lost three of their previous four games. The Greens dropped to a 14-10 record after losing 87-75 away in Milan in the last round.

Fenerbahce will be eager to give Panathinaikos the same treatment after losing to them in the rematch. The Turkish powerhouses come into this game in great form, having won 12 straight games in all competitions.

Since the last week of December, they have not suffered a defeat.

With a 16-7 record, Sarunas Jasikevicius' team is only one victory behind Olympiacos, the league leaders right now. Fener is playing a game as well.

Panathinaikos Paris initially performed well after Mathias Lessort got injured yet their performance plunged sharply. Without the French center nobody can step in because he is beyond replacement while the backup center suffered another injury. Periodically in December 2022 Kendrick Nunn showcased remarkable performances that helped Panathinaikos achieve victory in games when other key players were missing from the team. When Nunn experienced a dip in his scoring form during that stretch the Panathinaikos team was no longer able to secure victories.

Since becoming the EuroLeague champions last summer the team failed to acquire players who significantly improved the team performance. Lorenzo Brown shows his poorest EuroLeague performance during this season while Cedi Osman struggles for consistency within the team and Wenyen Gabriel faces unknown potential as a Maccabi Tel Aviv import from several weeks ago.

Panathinaikos aims to regain championship status across every competition but they must discover their revitalizing element first. Panathinaikos expects their players such as Nunn along with Kostas Sloukas and Willy Hernangomez to demonstrate consistent winning performance regardless of setbacks happening during the season.

During most of this campaign Marius Grigonis the crucial season player has been inactive while Ioannis Papapetrou has lost all trust in him from Ataman. The Turkish coach publicly declared he demands a higher level of performance from Dinos Mitoglou which indicates center minutes will increase in the coming period.

The defense of Panathinaikos must stand firm during this match-up to achieve success. The opposing team shows capability to make numerous three-pointers and plays with aggressive physical gameplay. The lack of stellar performances from Nunn over recent weeks provides a strong incentive for him to demonstrate his December statistics were genuine and not a momentary spike.

Fenerbahce stands as the hottest team in EuroLeague competition by playing basketball at its peak which surpasses all other teams in the league. The current winning streak consists of six matches while a recent loss to Olympiacos demonstrates that Fenerbahce could reach for the top position soon.

The impressive winning streak belongs primarily to head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius. Compared to Panathinaikos and Olympiacos as well as Real Madrid and Monaco Fenerbahce lacks top-level star talent on their team. Nigel Hayes-Davis stands out as the only player who prominently distinguishes himself on the team roster.

Their defense together with team-wide commitment compensates for their lack of individual star players. The offense of Fenerbahce prioritizes organized passing to uncover open shooters waiting in the perimeter spots. They deliberately minimize rushed and unworthy attempts on the court. The team boasts multiple consistent three-point shooters consisting of Tarik Biberovic, Marko Guduric, Nicolo Melli, Dyshawn Pierre as well as Nigel Hayes-Davis.

The center position of Sertac Sanli proved his skills in the previous round against Virtus when he emerged as one of the leading players for his team. New addition Erick McCollum quickly brought positive impact to the team when he joined Fenerbahce several weeks after the exodus from Karsiyaka. Jasikevicius has built quick rapport with McCollum since the time they began working together.

In defensive play Fenerbahce concedes 80.0 points per match which secures them position two among all teams in the competition. The team demonstrates a powerful physical presence as they effectively control defensive rebounding actions thus making it challenging for competitors to push through in that area. If Wade Baldwin recovers to play as effectively as he did in Maccabi Tel Aviv he could lead Fenerbahce towards their highest possible aspirations in the competition.