Maccabi (10-20) will attempt to retain its status as the hottest team in the league by upsetting the top-four aspirations of reigning champ Panathinaikos (19-11).
Game Notes: Maccabi vs. Panathinaikos



The hosts have won four straight, mostly through explosive offense spearheaded by in-form guard Rokas Jokubaitis (12.6 points and 5.0 assists per game), but also showing toughness at the defensive end in last week's low-scoring win over Virtus. And that will definitely be required against a free-scoring Green machine which has been augmented by a return to form by ex-Maccabi ace Lorenzo Brown, who is coming off consecutive double-digit scoring nights for just the second time this season. Another key battle will take place in the paint between Trevion Williams and Wenyen Gabriel, who both delivered strong performances in last week’s wins.
Game Videos
- This is a rematch of last season's playoff series, which Panathinaikos won thanks to an 81-72 victory in a deciding Game 5 in which Kendrick Nunn scored 26 points on 6 three-pointers.
- Mathias Lessort had a career-high 4 blocks in an 88-95 victory in Game 4 of last season's playoffs to tie the EuroLeague Playoffs record.
- In Game 2, Panathinaikos celebrated a 95-79 win in Athens behind a career-high 29 points from Kostas Sloukas who made a career-best 8-of-9 two-point shots.
- Maccabi won Games 1 and 3 of that playoff series. Maccabi rallied to beat Panathinaikos 87-91 in Athens in Game 1 and held on for an 85-83 victory in Game 3 in Belgrade.
- Kostas Sloukas dished a career-high 13 assists in Game 1 of last season's playoffs.
- Maccabi swept Panathinaikos during the 2023-24 regular season, including an 81-86 overtime win in Athens as Lorenzo Brown, now with Panathinaikos, tied Maccabi's single-game record and his personal best with 12 assists, while also collecting a career-high 5 steals.
- In that same game, John DiBartolomeo scored 15 points on a career-best 5-of-7 three-point shooting and pulled down a career-high 9 rebounds.
- The Greens won a classic five-game playoff series against Maccabi to reach the 2012 Final Four. Three of the games in that series were decided by a single basket, including Game 2, which went to overtime, and the deciding Game 5.
- The Panathinaikos single-game record for blocks by a player is 6, which Stephane Lasme set against Maccabi on November 14, 2013.
- Panathinaikos and Maccabi squared off in the 2000 EuroLeague final in Thessaloniki, Greece. Panathinaikos prevailed 73-67 behind 20 points from Zeljko Rebraca, who was chosen as the Final Four MVP.
- Panathinaikos and Maccabi met again in the 2001 SuproLeague final in Paris. Maccabi won 81-67. Arriel McDonald earned Final Four MVP honors with 21 points in the title game.
- Panathinaikos defeated Maccabi 70-78 in the 2011 EuroLeague championship game in Barcelona behind 18 points from Mike Batiste and 16 points and 9 assists from Dimitris Diamantidis.
- Panathinaikos playmaker Lorenzo Brown spent the last two seasons with Maccabi. He earned All-EuroLeague honors each season and led the team to a pair of EuroLeague Playoff appearances.
- Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash coached Panathinaikos in 2021. He also played for the Greens, which he helped win the EuroLeague in 2000 by scoring 17 points in the final against Maccabi.
- Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort played for Maccabi in the first part of the 2021-22 season.
- Lessort pulled down a career-best 7 offensive rebounds for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade against Maccabi in November 2022.
- Panathinaikos guard Marius Grigonis was a teammate of Maccabi's Rokas Jokubaitis at Zalgiris Kaunas. Grigonis and Jokubaitis were teammates for three seasons, from 2018 to 2021.
- Grigonis and Jokubaitis have also been teammates on the Lithuanian national team.
- Panathinaikos center Wenyen Gabriel played the first part of the season with Maccabi, making his EuroLeague debut with the club.
- Maccabi guard Marial Shayok and Wenyen Gabriel have been teammates on the national team of South Sudan.
- Panathinaikos forward Panagiotis Kalaitzakis scored a career-high 17 points against Maccabi in Round 23 in Belgrade last season.
- Panathinaikos big man Konstantinos Mitoglou blocked a career-high 3 shots against Maccabi in December 2019.