Panathinaikos Athens fought back and won Game 3 at Anadolu Efes. The reigning champions prevailed 81-77 in a hectic and exciting final phase.
The Greeks led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter in the Turkish capital, but Anadolu slowly and steadily chipped away at the deficit and, with three minutes remaining, Daniel Oturu tied the score at 70-70 for the first time since the first quarter. However, the visitors had the last word.
A putback by Wenyen Gabriel and free throws by Kostas Sloukas increased the lead to four points before Konstantinos Mitoglu (18 points, 4/5 three-pointers) sealed the victory from the three-point line with six seconds remaining. The Turks had previously double-teamed Kendrick Nunn, who was unstoppable for the hosts.
The MVP of the regular season scored 25 points (9/15 FG), five rebounds and four assists, but in the end the Turks simply did not let the guard shoot and lived off open attempts by his teammates. Shane Larkin (17, 5/11) was the top scorer for Anadolu, with Elijah Bryant (13, 7 rebounds) and Oturu (15) also putting in convincing performances. The Turks shot well from distance (10/22), but the visitors dominated the paint for most of the game.
Tibor Pleiss did not play for the Greeks against his former team again. The Greeks now lead the series 2-1 and can secure their second consecutive Final Four appearance on Friday at the same venue.
