The Greek teams in the Euroleague bounced back from their losses last week to score road victories that might even see them share the top two spots at the end of the regular season next week.
On Thursday Panathinaikos smashed host Monaco 88-76, avenging its home loss a few months earlier, more than covering that three-point deficit in their head-to-head record and consolidating itself at the third spot, harboring hopes even for the second.
The Greens have now mathematically clinched home advantage for the playoffs, led by another outstanding performance from Kendrick Nunn (37 points, five assists) who had just signed a contract extension till 2028 without an NBA opt-out clause.
The European champions led by 17 (49-32) late in the first half, and when Monaco of Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis scored 16 unanswered points (49-48), Panathinaikos responded to regain a healthy lead and win in emphatic fashion.
After Nunn, Jerian Grant scored 14 points, for Panathinaikos that is on 21-12.
Olympiakos has returned to the top spot of the table (sporting a 23-10 record) with a hard-fought 100-92 win at bottom team Alba Berlin on Friday.
What had seemed like a walk in the park for the Reds, who led 40-19 at the start of the second quarter, nearly turned into a nightmare, as their defense leaked and the German team saw the opportunity for a major upset.
Alba had a partial 17-0 to advance 81-80 and even went ahead by three (90-87). That was when Olympiakos switched itself back on and a partial 9-0 sealed the game in its favor.
Alec Peters had an remarkable game for the Piraeus team, making 33 points, followed by Nigel Williams-Goss with 22 plus seven assists.