Hayes-Davis: The players are earning a lot, and we took our shots

Panathinaikos came through late tension to beat Baskonia 85-79. The result was decided by three-pointers from Sylvain Francisco and Guerschon Yabusele in the closing minutes. Baskonia had cut a seven-point deficit and pushed the game into the final moments.

Despite the win, Nigel Hayes-Davis focused on criticism rather than celebration. The forward pointed to the team's quality, mentioned the players' high salaries, and said the squad did not play at the Panathinaikos standard. He himself stood out with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Mathias Lessort was the team's top scorer with 20 points and six rebounds. Francisco organized the offense with 10 points and 11 assists. According to Hayes-Davis, the team's individual quality needs to turn into a shared style of play.

Hayes-Davis said the team needs to improve on the boards and in offensive continuity. He stressed that players should play basketball as a team rather than look for solutions alone. In his view, this balance will be the team's biggest test ahead.

He said this narrow win showed the areas the team still needs to work on. The forward added that the season is long and that they will neither celebrate the victory nor dwell on defeat. He said the team will begin training again tomorrow and keep working for improvement.