Promitheas used new recipe against Slask
Promitheas Patras dominated the second half to beat Slask Wroclaw 90-66 and it did so with marginal contributions from some of its key players. Star forward Arnoldas Kulboka had his worst game of the season with 0 points in 25 minutes and starting center played only 10 and a half minutes due to foul trouble.
However, Coach Ioannis Christopoulos stressed the positive aspects of how his team played on such a night.
"I think this is a sign of what kind of team we are," Christopoulos said after the game. "There are always poor days for very good players, but that doesn’t affect the team. I think that’s the right way. We know who Kulboka is. Still I think it’s important for me the maturity he demonstrated. He didn’t force anything, he stayed calm. That’s how the game is."
With those two big guns quieted, Promitheas enjoyed a magical first half from Joe Thomasson and strong play in the second from rookie center George Conditt. Thomasson helped Promitheas rally from an early 16-point deficit with 20 first-half points. He made 2 of 3 two-pointers, 4 of 4 threes and 4 of 4 free throws in reaching that number. Even though he did not score in the second half, Thomasson set a personal best in scoring and showed that when he’s on a roll, he will be tough to stop.
Conditt scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and also contributed 7 rebounds.
On this night, when Promitheas moved into a tie for fourth-place – which would mean a home game in the first stage of the playoffs, it was led by a rookie as well as a head coach and a shooting guard who did not start the season with the team. And the way the team is finding new ways to win is something to keep an eye on, as Thomasson alluded to:
"Two months ago we weren’t a serious basketball team. No one was talking about us. People didn’t believe," Thomasson said after the game. "Now we’re stringing some wins together. Now, mind you, we have a lot of work to do. But I love our energy right now, the comradery in the locker room. We are coming together from our coaches down to the last player on the bench, we’re finally believing in something and that’s what matters."