Dinos Mitoglou emphasized focus, energy, and trust after Panathinaikos' Game 3 win over Efes, responding to Ergin Ataman’s public challenge with a season-best performance. The Greek forward commented on his impressive shot-making and named the two difference-makers for his team.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens bounced back in a big way, grinding out an 81–77 win over Anadolu Efes in Istanbul to take a 2-1 lead in the EuroLeague playoff series — and no one responded louder than Dinos Mitoglou.
The 28-year-old forward was the X-factor, delivering a tied season-high 18 points on 4/5 3-point shooting, including the backbreaking triple with 48 seconds left off a Kostas Sloukas assist to make it 74–79 — the dagger that emptied large sections of the Basketball Development Center.
“I wasn’t thinking much,” Mitoglou said of the shot in a postgame chat with BasketNews.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
31
|
| Kendrick Nunn | |
| Points | 25 |
| Accuracy | 9-15 |
| Rebounds | 5 |
| Assists | 4 |
“I was wide open, so I took it. That’s how I’ve always played. I felt great from the beginning of the game — I had my rhythm early. Once the first one went in, I knew.”
Panathinaikos stormed out with focus and energy, building a 13-point lead (50–63) midway through the third quarter behind disciplined defense and smart shot selection. Efes, to their credit, punched back with an 11–0 run to claw within striking distance.
“Efes is an excellent team,” Mitoglou said. “Even when you lead, they’ll find ways to come back — especially if you make mistakes. That made them really dangerous tonight.”
But this time, Panathinaikos didn’t fold. And Mitoglou was at the center of it.
“We were really concentrated. We followed the coach’s plan on both ends,” he said. “We learned today that we have to stay focused the whole game — not just for 10 minutes, not just for three quarters. I’m proud of my teammates. We all gave everything. It was a real fight.”
After a quiet Game 1 that amounted to just two points and one rebound in less than five minutes on the court, Mitoglou’s response came just days after Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman publicly called him out.
“Players like Mitoglou have to give more. I hope he wakes up and gives Juancho [Hernangomez] some rest,” the Turkish coach lamented in the presser following his team's win in Game 1 of the series and the Spaniard's 20/16 performance.
Asked postgame if he heard Ataman’s message, Mitoglou smiled broadly.
“Of course I got the message,” he said. “That’s how the coach communicates. He wants to shake you — psychologically, not physically. To remind you that the team needs you in big moments.”
The wake-up call worked. Apart from his 18 points, the international forward added six rebounds and a PIR of 25 (another season high) to his stat line.
“I worked extra. I stayed ready,” he said. “The coach and my teammates trust me. That’s why I stayed in the corner on that last play. I was alone for two or three seconds, the shot clock was winding down — so I took it and made it.”
The Greens now head to Game 4 with momentum and confidence restored. But Mitoglou knows the challenge is only going to get tougher for the reigning champs.
“We’re going for the win again — that’s it. Two things: effort and belief,” he said. “We know Efes will be even harder to beat next time, but we’ll be ready.”
With Game 3 in the books, Mitoglou didn’t just wake up — he made sure the entire arena felt it.
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