On this day: Rudy Fernandez's amazing buzzer-beater vs Panathinaikos / News - Basketnews.com

In a game that almost didn't matter for Real Madrid and mattered a lot for Panathinaikos, Rudy Fernandez hit one of the most improbable buzzer-beaters in EuroLeague history.

Credit: Basketnews.lt/V.Mikaitis Credit Basketnews.lt/V.Mikaitis

March 28th in the EuroLeague marks not only the start of the last double week of the 2022-23 Regular Season, but it's also the day when one of the most improbable buzzer-beaters delighted the fans across the continent.

Player of the Game EFF 29 Walter Tavares Points 14 Accuracy 6-7 Rebounds 16 Assists 2

Let's get back to the year 2019. More specifically, the Round 29 matchup between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens.

With just two games left in the Regular Season (since it was the last year when 16 teams competed in the tournament), Real Madrid stood firmly in 3rd place, three wins ahead of 4th-placed Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Panathinaikos were coming off a 6-win streak and were battling for the spot in the playoffs. A win against the Spanish powerhouse would've meant a trip to the postseason.

With this in mind, the two clubs met in the OAKA arena in Athens.

The home squad got off to a fiery start, winning the first quarter by an impressive 32-14 margin. Real Madrid had a negative head-to-head balance against the 2nd-placed CSKA Moscow and seemingly had nothing to play for since their fate in the final standings did not entirely depend on them.

Panathinaikos led 71-60 with 5 minutes left. However, the guests slowly crawled back into the game. They won the remainder of the fourth quarter by 9 points (11-2), and the teams were separated by just two points (73-71) with 21 seconds to go.

Real Madrid had the ball and it didn't seem like the possession would lead anywhere. Nevertheless, when Facundo Campazzo tried driving to the basket and went nowhere, he kicked the ball out to Rudy Fernandez who put up a heave toward the basket from more than 8 meters away.

Remarkably, the shot went in as the clock expired.

It meant that Panathinaikos had to earn their playoff ticket in the very last round. Real Madrid ended up losing to Zalgiris Kaunas in the last round, and the Lithuanian team miraculously got to the playoffs winning 6 straight games to finish the regular season.

"It's a crazy shot, it's hard to explain it, sometimes it just happens. Today's my lucky day," Fernandez said after the match.

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