Daryl Macon relishing reunion with his 'first love' in Nedovic's absence / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Panathinaikos struggled for the first three quarters but ultimately downed ALBA Berlin 82-67 in front of 4.500 fans at the OAKA on Friday night. The hosts saw several players register career-highs, with Daryl Macon and Leonidas Kaselakis among them.

Player of the Game EFF 24 Georgios Papagiannis Points 14 Accuracy 7-12 Rebounds 10 Assists 1

The Greek forward crushed his scoring high, logging 17 points on an impeccable 4/4 from distance. He also racked up 18 points in PIR, another milestone in his short EuroLeague run.

On the other hand, Daryl Macon once again did what he does best but didn't stick to that.

The EuroLeague rookie, who had made an impressive start to the season, watched his numbers and performances take a significant dive since Nemanja Nedovic got his grip and led PAO to consecutive games, most notably against Olympiacos and Zenit.

But this time, Nedovic was out, watching the game next to the bench with a mask on his face.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

So, Macon found room to score and create, piling up 20 points and a career-high 11 assists.

"It's amazing to come back to this arena and win, to put on a show for the fans, give them what they want to see," he said a few moments after the game.

Macon also added that passing the ball is something he really enjoys.

"A lot of people don't know I can dish out 11 assists. This is my first love - pass the ball. When I get a chance to show it, I will.

We have to stand next to each other. Nedovic is out, but he knows we stepped in for him while we wait for him to come back healthy and join us," Macon added.

Panathinaikos head coach Dimitris Priftis also praised his guard.

"That man has talent, it's obvious,"Priftis said of Macon in the post-game presser.

"The basic thing is to be able to play within a system, to dribble the ball less, to move off the ball. But, he has talent," he added.

Daryl Macon

MIN:26.9PTS:15.71 (62.05%)REB:2.57As:3.93ST:0.64BL:0.07TO:1.93GM:14ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

Priftis thinks that Macon can cover both the point and the shooting guard position, which he showed in other games, with the one against CSKA in Moscow providing the latest example.

His team got blown out (97-77), but the 26-year-old served 8 baskets to his teammates. That makes 19 assists in two contests.

By comparison, his average came up to 3 assists per game in the first 12 Rounds.

"As far as I'm concerned, he can play both guard positions," Priftis continued before addressing his player's downside.

"He has to correct the way he approaches some games, sometimes he gets emotional. It is obvious that he has talent in the final pass because of his very good timing."

The Greek coach also revealed that Nemanja Nedovic will probably make it to at least one game in the upcoming double week.

"When Nedovic, Papapetrou, and White are in better shape, we will be even better. I don't know in which game Nedovic will be able to play again. At some point next week, he should be able to play. The chances are slim that he will be with us in Tuesday's game," Priftis admitted.

Giorgos Papagiannis once again dominated the paint, which resulted in another double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), made special reference to his teammate who stole the show - and offered him the chance to put on a dunking clinic.

"Daryl did an excellent job, especially on assists. He spaced the floor while finding the open teammate. It's a very important win," the Greek center commented.

On the other end, ALBA Berlin coach Israel Gonzalez acknowledged that Panathinaikos played very well and deserved the victory.

"We were very good in the first half offensively, but I didn't like our defense at all. Panathinaikos got into the paint all the time.

It was hard to prevent them from doing so. In the second half, we insisted on three-pointers, got tough shots. We have to play with more balance," the Spaniard said in the press conference. If the Greens played without their leader, the situation for ALBA was one of the same since star player Luke Sikma didn't even travel to Athens.

Gonzalez couldn't help but notice that it's the first game he misses this season.

"He's the best rebounder on the team. The way he fights on rebounds is very important. But we have to learn how to play without him," concluded Gonzalez.

That would be an interesting bet for the German side, who dropped to 5-9 just three days before they host rivals Bayern Munich in Berlin for the German League.

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