Virtus Polonia – Panathinaikos Actor: Sluka +14, Belinelli who made the game back and forth and the heroic Nan ball that justified… Banki

the Panathinaikos Actor Got one of the wins of the year At Virtus Bologna headquarters Thanks to Kendrick nan bell beater And now it's closer In second place in the Euroleague.

the Sport24 Analyzes with the help of Hudl Instat the victory of Panathinaikos Aktor.

Sloka +14 and the free kicks that (did not enter) turned the match upside down

It was Kostas Sloukas who carried Panathinaikos AKTOR for about 35 minutes until Kendrick Nunn made a move in the final minutes. The international goalkeeper finished the game with 20 points (4/5 2-pointers, 3/6 3-pointers, 3/4 shots and 2 assists for another 5 points), in 32 minutes and 22 seconds of play.

* Using a circle, well-aimed shots are made, with foul shots marked with an “x.”

However, the number that shows his impact on the match is different: he had +14 in the +/- system, meaning that when Panathinaikos Aktor was on the floor, he beat Virtus by 14 points when he had Sloukas on the five. Generally with him on the bench. To be precise, the individual score with Sluka on the floor was 73-59 in favor of the “Greens”, while in 7 minutes and 38 seconds he was on the bench the score was 20-8 in favor of Virtus.

It was Sloukas who unleashed the Virtus Bologna defense with a pick-and-roll in the first half. The Italians first chose to play clients on their weak hand (translation: sending them to their “bad” hand, i.e. the left-handed Sluka and Nan on the right and the right-handed Grant on the left), while Virtus then played “flat”, giving the shot. But Slokas always had a solution. Here is an example:

Slukas takes two straight screens from Mitoglou and Lessor in a pick and roll, with Dobrich sending him right. Sengelia and Dunston stay behind and play Flat.

Sloukas hits a free 3-pointer.

Slokas had the role of creator and executor. He was credited with only two assists, but more often than not it was he who created the extra pass advantage for the 'Greens' who hit a free ball. The good distribution of the 'Greens' was also the reason why Panathinaikos Aktor made a big difference in the first half, scoring one free kick after another.

In the second half, Virtus changed its defense. He was playing a tough Hedge Out. This created big problems for the Greens, but not for Sloukas, who was once again finding solutions. Panathinaikos' problem in the second half was that they didn't shoot the ball and the game turned upside down.

According to Hudl Instat, Panathinaikos AKTOR players made a total of 14 free throws (12 three-pointers and two two-pointers). In the first half, the “Greens” had 4/4 three-pointers and 2/3 two-pointers in such a situation when they got away with the score. In the second half they had 1/7 3-pointers. It is no coincidence that this mistake also turned the match on its head

Belinelli played up and down the game because only he knew how

Virtus Bologna is a special teamer, most of their plays rely on numerous passes and off-screen moves (player coming off the screen off the ball). According to Hudl Instat, Virtus gets 8.1 points per game in EuroLeague from off-screen systems (1st in EuroLeague). 4.7 points per game come from Belinelli (17 points with 3/6 three-pointers in 25 minutes of participation), one of the last performers in European basketball in such a state.

The 38-year-old goalkeeper is in a class of his own. The way he moves off the ball and his ability to score on the move creates a rare need for the opposition to devise a complete defensive plan to contain him. But what makes Belinelli stand out is not his contact with the basket, but the fact that he can also pass when on the move, and hit free shots for his teammates. This was evident only in the first phase of his match, when he executed a free kick against Sengelia:

Belinelli prepares to exit Dunston's screen. Grigonis (who tags him) and the lessor (who tags Dunston) want out on him. Mitoglou prepares to close the racket to close the Dunstone roll. Singelia's temperature rises to 45 degrees.

Belinelli takes the ball with Grigonis and Lessor on him and sees Sengelia asking him for the ball at a 45 degree angle and passes the ball to him.

Singlea hits a 3-pointer.

Panathinaikos Actor found a way to limit the Italian's antics in the first half. He was trying to break screens, played with purpose, had success keeping Belinelli away (like at this point LeSeur), and had good defensive rotations. But in the second part, this did not happen. Belinelli found space, hit two big shots, and found the rhythm. Then he started feeding his teammates. The Italian team scored 16 points in off-screen situations, including 9 points for themselves. Virtus' offense fed off of this, as well as Sengelia's contributions, and fought their way back into the match. But then Nan came.

Punky's agonizing plea for a “Hero's Ball” and the vindication of…Nan

There was one moment in yesterday's game (3/29) that seemed prophetic of what was to come. With the score 71-74, Luca Panchi called timeout. The EuroLeague TV camera found itself on Virtus' bench, as the Italian began to plead with his players to stay focused on their plan: “please! Don't step on the hero ball! Get the ball, keep playing!“Bunke said characteristically to his players, before showing the system (which led to a three-pointer from Belinelli for the score 74-74).

Luca Panchi knew what he was talking about. He knew that in a match between two people, in terms of personalities, Panathinaikos Aktor had the advantage. His players listened to him until Dobrich made it 79-76 with a 3-pointer (following an assist from Lundberg), before Grigonis tied the game with a basket and fouled out.

In Virtus' final attack, Lundberg went for his logic…hero ball. He fired a quick shot under pressure. Panathinaikos gave AKTOR (also) plenty of time to organize their attack. Nunn, probably the best player in Europe (or second best, depending on where you put Mike James in this conversation) took the ball to the hero. He went all the way and scored, giving his team the win.

Nunn has already played hero football in recent attacks for Panathinaikos Aktor. And so he placed one large basket after another. In the end, he took responsibility for achieving victory for the Greens, and he was justified. He made it seem simple because – quite simply – it was simple for him. In this way Luca Banchi was vindicated, even if not in the way the Italian wanted. Somehow, Panathinaikos AKTOR is now close to second place. very simple.