Lorenzo Brown talks tough Maccabi season, admits surprise at Juancho's role with PAO / News - Basketnews.com

Lorenzo Brown explained how Maccabi kept their composure in Game 1 vs. Panathinaikos. The point guard shared his thoughts ahead of Game 2 and confessed his surprise at the playing time his Spain NT teammate Juancho Hernangomez is having with PAO.

Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic via Getty Images Credit Srdjan Stevanovic via Getty Images

WhenPanathinaikos AKTOR Athenshead coachErgin AtamanentrustedKendrick Nunnwith guardingMaccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's point guardLorenzo Brownone-on-one with less than a minute left on the game clock ofGame 1, the two teams were tied 85-85.

PAO's first scorer had returned from the bench, where he sat more than usual due to his 4 fouls.

The hero of the 2022 EuroBasket raised his eyes, targeted his opponents slow lateral movement, and scored what turned out to be the winning basket by shooting over Nunn's reluctant hands. The ball hit the glass before going through the net.

In the following play, Kostas Sloukas turned the ball over, giving Josh Nebo a chance to seal the outcome from the free-throw line.

After a sloppy first half defensively (50-42 for the hosts), Maccabi played their game without being bothered, raised the bar to 90+ points, and won a game in which they were down by 12 at the beginning of the third quarter.

Lorenzo Brown, the Play-In MVP thanks to his 29 points, 5 rebounds, and as many assists against Baskonia in the 7th-place game, recorded 16 points on 6/12 from the field (3/4 from a distance), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and one steal for a PIR of 14.

In mid-January, the veteran guard suffered an ankle injury that caused his numbers to drop from 13.7 points before the setback to 9 points after it, and significantly damaged his accuracy -- from 47% to 33% in 2-point shooting and from 33% to 24% behind the 3-point line.

However, his last couple of games prove that the 33-year-old is indeed in great shape.

"It was a big win for us, for sure," he toldBasketNewsonce Maccabi opened their locker room to the media.

On the occasion of the duel with Panathinaikos, Brown has the chance to catch up with his Spain national team teammate Juancho Hernangomez.

In the third contest between the two teams this season, Juancho played 20:39 and had 3 points on 1/6 FG and 9 rebounds. He scored a combined 1 point on 0/6 from the field in the two regular season outings.

Apart from a few notable exceptions, it's obvious that the former NBA forward is struggling to live up to the hype, expectations, and the 3&D role ascribed to him by Ergin Ataman.

His playing time was less than 10 minutes in 6 of his 28 appearances. He's only started in 7 games for PAO in the current campaign.

Brown said he's excited to face Juancho in the series, adding that Hernangomez's role in Panathinaikos makes to raise his eyebrow.

"It's amazing. He's a special guy right there," he exclaimed. "I think

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