The Lithuanian swingman struck 7 times from three-point range in an important win for Panathinaikos.
Marius Grigonis lit it up from deep to punish Efes
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Regular Season
Round 20 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Panathinaikos Athens produced a sublime first-half performance at both ends of the floor to take a 51-35 lead into the halftime break against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, before eventually winning 83-76. The Greek side even led by 22 points, 38-16, midway through the second quarter, as it took control of the game thanks to Marius Grigonis’s impressive stats from beyond the arc.
Grigonis went 4-for-4 on three-pointers through the first 20 minutes, with the Panathinaikos swingman coming into the intermission on 15 points. He finished the game with a season high of 24 points, just 1 point shy of his career high, having gone a career-best 7-for-9 from deep for a PIR of 28. He also recorded 3 assists to surpass the 300-assist mark, but after the game he stressed that the most important thing was the Greens grabbing their 12th win of the season.
“Honestly, I was never the guy who checks the stats and everything,” Grigonis admitted in the post-game flash interview. “It’s fun, but the most important thing is that we won the game. In this brutal schedule, I’m really happy that we’ve got the win, but the day after tomorrow we play again, so there is no time to enjoy the records or the wins. We have to keep going.”
Grigonis has bounced back in style
This season, Grigonis has responded excellently to the scrutiny he suffered following a mediocre first campaign at Panathinaikos. With each passing game at present, he is proving his critics wrong. Having become a key cog in head coach Ergin Ataman’s well-oiled machine, Grigonis has recorded 10.8 points per game and shot a solid 44.2% (42-for-95) from beyond the arc.
“I feel like I have always been this player,” Grigonis added. “Some people have their own opinions, but I have always believed in myself and I am a confident person. One bad year won’t take anything from me. What else can you do? You bounce back, keep working and keep playing.”
What caused Grigonis to succeed vs. Efes?
His teammate, Mathias Lessort, who registered 10 points and 8 drawn fouls, explained what enabled Grigonis to have such a magical night on Tuesday at OAKA.
“Tonight, Efes collapsed a lot inside and that’s why Grigonis was able to have a night like the one he had,” Lessort noted. “He shot the ball amazingly tonight. It just depends on the opponent’s plan; it’s nothing that we can plan for. We have to adjust to what the opponent gives us.”
Panathinaikos kicked off the double-round week in style by grabbing its seventh win at home and its sixth in its last seven overall. The Greens play at home in five of their next six games, too, with the Greek side set to host AS Monaco in Round 21 on Thursday. Expect to see Grigonis feature prominently once again.