Name: Top 5 Plays | Championship Game | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Be sure to take a look at the best five plays of the 2023 24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game!

Top 5 Plays | Championship Game | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Top 5 Plays of the Championship Game!

Kendrick Nunn overcame foul trouble to shine when it mattered

Things looked far from good for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens after 10 minutes of the championship game against Real Madrid. Down 11, and just having allowed a new Final Four record 36 points in the first quarter, the Greens also found themselves without Kendrick Nunn, who committed 3 personal fouls in the opening quarter, in which he scored 8 points.

Nunn played just 24 seconds in the second quarter and was supporting on the bench as his teammates cut the deficit and were down just 54-49 at the break.

Going into the third quarter, Nunn knew he was soon coming back into the game, but also knew his team needed him. His mindset going into the second half?

"To stay composed", Nunn said among all the confetti on the floor of Uber Arena after the championship game win.

"I've been here before. I'm a rookie in the EuroLeague, but I am not a rookie player. I've been in this type of environment, I've been in this type of pressure before. I mean, it's not pressure. Staying composed and letting my teammates know. Staying aggressive. And that's exactly what I did", the 29-year-old explained.

Nunn overcame foul trouble to shine for the Greens

He re-entered the game after 2 and a half minutes of play in the third and 68 seconds later nailed a three-pointer that gave Panathinaikos a 56-58 lead.

"That is definitely what I needed", Nunn admitted. "I did not have a typical hot night that I usually have, so seeing that one go in definitely gave me some spark."

He proceeded to score 13 second-half points, including 8 in the fourth quarter.

Nunn finished with 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and also had 3 rebounds and 3 assists. His contribution was crucial in an 80-95 win that got the Greens their first EuroLeague title in 13 years, and Nunn's first in his first EuroLeague season.

"This is unbelievable. It is my first year in Europe, this is the first year about 10 of us played together, new coach. Top to bottom it's been new. So we were stacking days, encouraging each other, giving each other confidence. And this is what happens when you buy in and believe", Nunn said.

Panathinaikos guard Kendrick Nunn talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague

Kendrick Nunn: ‘My teammates stepped up big time’

Game News

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague

Mathias Lessort: ‘It’s amazing what we’ve just done’

Panathinaikos guard Kostas Sloukas talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague

Kostas Sloukas: ‘We are the best team in Europe’

Jerian Grant: ‘From Day One we believed’

Juancho Hernangomez: ‘The seventh star is here’

Panathinaikos forward talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague 

For the first time since the current competition format was introduced in 2016, the top two teams from the regular season meet in the final. Real Madrid topped the standings after winning its first 10 games and finished with a 27-7 mark, while Panathinaikos soared late to place second at 23-11.

Real-Panathinaikos | Championship Game Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague


Kostas Sloukas receives the MVP trophy! 

 Sloukas is the Final Four MVP 

 Panathinaikos lift the trophy! 

[Kostas Sloukas ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/)added another achievement in what is quickly becoming a legendary career when he was chosen as the 2024 Final Four MVP. Sloukas led Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to an 80-95 come-from-behind victory over previous champion Real Madrid in the championship game at Uber Arena in Berlin on Sunday night.

Sloukas did not miss from the field in setting a Final Four career-high with 24 points. He was 4 for 4 from behind the arc and made 8 of 9 free throws. Sloukas added 2 rebounds and 3 assists in racking up a PIR of 31, which was the highest of any player in any Final Four game this season.

Kostas Sloukas | FINAL FOUR MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

This marks the fourth EuroLeague crown for Sloukas. He is only the second player to ever do so with three different teams. He previously lifted the trophy with Olympiacos Piraeus (2012, 2013) and Fenerbahce Istanbul (2017). Sarunas Jasikevicius is the only other player to win the EuroLeague with three different teams: FC Barcelona (2003), Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004, 2005) and Panathinaikos (2009). Sloukas is the 17th player ever to win at least four EuroLeague titles.

With his monster game on Sunday, Sloukas moved into fourth place on the all-time Final Four scoring charts with 191 points and into second place in PIR with 203.

He was chosen by the accredited media at the Final Four in Berlin

Kostas Sloukas is the Final Four MVP

Nunn seals the win with a huge slam over Yabusele 

Nunn posterizes Yabusele! Motorola Magic Moment

Nunn seals the win with a huge slam over Yabusele.

Nunn Posterizes Yabusele! Motorola Magic Moment

Nunn seals the win with a huge slam over Yabusele. 

### Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach

"It’s amazing. We have about 15,000 people here. We deserved it. All season we had a great season. Tonight we go down 15 points, but we came back. It’s amazing. I am very happy, I am very proud. I lost my father one month ago. I am sure that his heart … he was with me for all the championships with Anadolu Efes. Now one more time, thank you all Greek supporters. Thank you all Turkish people who give support to me."

### Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos player

"Amazing feeling, amazing feeling. I cannot describe my feelings. I am so happy, I am so proud for my team for our whole organization of Panathinaikos. We had an incredible game. Real Madrid has incredible talent. But we stayed there, we were solid. I am so happy, I am so happy for everybody, I am happy for coach, for Mr. Giannakopoulos and for my teammates.

"I always said I have to be aggressive offensively and defensively In the semi-final I wasn’t good because I was out for 10 days and I was trying to find my rhythm. But today I was feeling good. Listen to the crowd. I am so happy."

### Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos player

"This is unbelievable. It is my first year in the Europe, this is the first year about 10 of us played together, new coach. Top to bottom it's been new. So we were stacking days, encouraging each other, giving each other confidence. And this is what happens when you buy in and believe.

"I am in awe. But the past two nights I've been taking my game-day naps, and I've been feeling myself tear up a little bit, feeling this feeling, I promise you. So from my naps, I was expecting this."

### Marius Grigonis, Panathinaikos player

"The key is defense. Both in semis and tonight we played great defense and physicial. We won in an incredible way. Being here, as a champion, is incredible. I am sure we will not sleep and we will drink a lot."

### Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos player

"Great games this weekend. Defensive effort and playing like a team. Berlin is amazing, I will buy a big home here. I will live here for the rest of my life, I love Berlin! Winning here is amazing, two titles, two big titles, European championship and a EuroLeague. I always trust myself and my team. Our defense was better in the second half. They started really well but we knew we had to stick to our defense. Coach said we were doing just fine in the break. That we had to stick to the plan."

### Luca Vildoza, Panathinaikos player

"We changed our minds after the first half. At the break we talked about the defense we wanted to play, which was not the one we showed in the first half. At the end we controlled the game and they missed some shots they normally make. We have really good players. Our main man was Jerian, he played great defense and scored when necessary. I am really proud of the team we have. Being able to help the team in the Final Four is amazing and I am proud to belong to this Panathinaikos team."

Panathinaikos reactions after winning the title

Sloukas beats the halftime buzzer with a pull-up jumper from mid-range!

Sloukas beats the halftime buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment

Mathias Lessort fights inside and blasts a teammate's miss back through the basket.

Lessort blasts it back in! Motorola Magic Moment

Rudy steals the ball showing his hustle then sends a bullet pass to Causeur for an easy lay-up.

 Rudy's steal and magic pass! Motorola Magic Moment

The Olympiacos BC fans who remained in Berlin, Germany, for the third-place game were able to see their team come away with a win on Sunday, as Georgios Bartzokas’s men beat Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul 87-84.

Olympiacos left the Final Four on a high

The Olympiacos Piraeus fans who remained in Berlin, Germany, for the third-place game were able to see their team come away with a win on Sunday, as [Georgios Bartzokas’s men beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 87-84](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/third-place-game-olympiacos-vs-fenerbahce/).

Both Olympiacos and Fenerbahce were left disappointed after losing in Friday’s semifinals to Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, respectively, but the two teams still put on a show for the fans inside Uber Arena.

Curiously, it felt more like a road game for Olympiacos as there was a green-heavy presence in the stands, with Panathinaikos’s supporters more than happy to whistle the Reds’ players at every opportunity.

Game Videos

### Playing for pride

Nevertheless, the Olympiacos players knew that they had to put on a show for the club’s supporters who had remained in Berlin.

“It’s a blessing to be here in the Final Four,” Olympiacos guard [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) said in the mixed zone after the game. “We just needed to use the opportunity and the stage and not take it for granted. The fans have been with us all season long, so it’s only right to put up a fight. Win or lose, we were here to fight. I’m glad we were able to leave here with a win.”

All-action forward [Shaq McKissic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shaquielle-mckissic/007853/) thought it was an enjoyable spectacle for those in attendance inside Uber Arena, too: “That was a fun third-place game.”

Olympiacos did not achieve what it wanted in the EuroLeague this year, but there’s no doubt that the Reds will be there or thereabouts once again next season.

Giannoulis Larentzakis of Olympiacos Piraeus looks to get away from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's Dyshawn Pierre in the 2024 third-place game.

The Reds managed to defeat Fenerbahce in the third-place game

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-26T15:00:00.000Z)

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