Virtus Bologna – Panathinaikos AKTOR: Sluka’s 28 points, Grant’s +12 and Kalaitzakis’ unimaginable defensive number

THE Panathinaikos AKTOR he struggled a lot in Bologna, but finally beat Virtus for the 10th matchday of the EuroLeagueremaining on course for first place

The SPORT24 analyzes with the help of Hudl Instat the victory of the “greens”.

Nan’s points and the creation of Sluka

Virtus Bologna is a special team. It has plenty of veterans, big bodies on its tall line and – with the exception of Cordinier – lacking in athleticism. She can find ways to control the tempo of a match though and that’s what she did against Panathinaikos AKTOR, putting him in her rhythm. The “greens” went more into half-court situations than they initially wanted. But they found solutions in different ways.

In the first quarter, the one who pulled the “clover” up was Kendrick Nunn (20 points). The American was a source of danger, found himself on a good day, made personal baskets.

*With a circle the well-targeted shots, with “x” the wrong ones

Then it was the turn of Kostas Sloukas. The 34-year-old guard saw the entire Virtus defense set up on him in the Pick and Roll, constantly sending him to his right hand. But read each phase correctly. He finished the game with 10 points and 7 assists, which gave another 18 points to the “clover”, so he was responsible for a total of 28 points. His assists would have been a lot more if his teammates had been a little more accurate in the third period.

Sloukas was in good shape. He seems to be getting back on his feet after managing his injury in the first month of the season. He has his famous patience. And this was mainly seen in this phase:

Sloukas plays Pick and Roll with Lessor, with Virtus sending him to his right hand.

With all the defense on him, Sloukas fakes a pass to Lessor, with Grant’s pick next to him. Sloukas, however, is waiting to see what Diouf will do (who has shut down Lessor, while marking Kalaitzakis).

With Diouf leaving Lessor to go to Kalaitzakis in the corner, Sloukas passes to Lessor.

Lessor scores.

Grant’s +12 and the phases he took in the finale

In the end, of course, the one who made the difference for Panathinaikos AKTOR was Jerian Grant. The American guard is the luxury of this team. In a roster that is typically the fourth creator (behind Sluka, Nunn and the absent Brown), where he now has a defensive role, he reminded the world that until he came to the “greens” he was usually the first or second choice in the attack of the teams that was playing

Grant finished the game with 11 points and 4 assists (which led to another 10 points). But in the end he is the one who took the reins from Slouka and Nan. The three-pointer he puts in front of Sengelia in a Pick and Roll situation for 72-75 is half the match for the “greens”. The assist he got on Lessor (to make it 74-77) and the steal he made in the next phase (winning a foul, sealing the victory by making it 74-79) the other half.

In less than a minute, Grant showed his previous version (the scorer) and his new version (the defender). According to Hudl Instat, Grant had a +12 in the +/- system. The next ones were Matias Lessor and Omer Yurtseven with +4.

The unimaginable defensive number of Kalaitzakis

Vasilis Simchak made a special reference to Panagiotis Kalaitzakis speaking on the show “Euroleague On Fire”. He dwelt on the 25-year-old guard/forward’s defensive consistency, how he has embraced his role in what was offered in the 4th period when he was alternating with Nan in handball changes in defense and attack.

Kalaitzakis is a star in his role. And this can be seen from an unimaginable number he had in the match with Virtus, where he fought for 6 minutes and 6 seconds. So according to Hudl Instat, with this floor, Panathinaikos AKTOR was only allowing 0.32 points per possession, a spacey figure.

Kalaitzakis was on the court in 25 defensive possessions of the “greens”. During this time, Panathinaikos AKTOR conceded only 8 points. It is clear that the international guard/forward is not solely responsible for this number, since it is a team sport, not an individual one. But this number certainly says a lot about how much the level of tension rises in the defense of Panathinaikos AKTOR with him on the floor.

Avoid mischief

Panathinaikos AKTOR was forced. He almost lost the game in his hands on a field that logic says will pass several of his competitors. A defeat at the home of Virtus would not be disastrous for the “greens”. Every top team will lose on this pitch. But it is good for the “clover” that it was not in this position.

Panathinaikos AKTOR avoided mishaps. He adapted to the conditions of the match and saw his trio of guards, Lesor and Kalaitzakis all give what they should. Now, calmer, he can look at the sequel.