Osman Scores 37 as PAOK Beat Kolossos 88-84 in Rhodes

By Taki Panos

Some games are won by a system. Others are won by one player who decides the afternoon belongs to him. Saturday in Rhodes was the second kind. Cedi Osman scored 37 points, his best ever in the Greek league, as PAOK came from behind to beat a stubborn Kolossos Rhodes 88-84 in round three of the Stoiximan GBL, as Sport24 reported. PAOK stay perfect at 3-0 in the Greek Basket League, while Kolossos drop to 1-2 after a game they led for most of the way.

Some context for newcomers. Kolossos are the club of Rhodes, the island most visitors know from its medieval Old Town and beaches, covered in our guide to Rhodes. They came into this game tired, after a long midweek trip to Azerbaijan, where they beat Gence 80-62 for their first European away win, ERT Sports noted. PAOK, meanwhile, needed a response after their 95-86 EuroCup loss at Lietkabelis on Tuesday.

PAOK coach Andrea Trinchieri did not have his full roster. Nick Calathes and Kyle Alexander did not travel to Rhodes, per Sport24, with Alexander dealing with discomfort in his right hand, Gazzetta reported. Only six foreign players can be listed in the Greek league, and Trinchieri went with Gray, Osman, Hudgins, Foster, Motiejunas and Moore, leaving Tairi out. That also meant a first Greek league appearance for Lithuanian center Donatas Motiejunas, Gazzetta added.

Kolossos started much sharper. They led 11-5 after six minutes, with Upson scoring four early points, and a Karampelas three made it 21-17 before a Marcus Foster basket cut it to 21-19 at the end of the first quarter, according to Sport24. The home side kept squeezing PAOK on defense. Kolossos were up 34-26 in the 14th minute, Sport24 wrote, and stretched it to 39-29 as Willis hit big shots and Karampelas gave them a lift off the bench, per Gazzetta.

That is when Osman took over. His threes put PAOK ahead for the first time at 44-43, and his fifth three in six attempts answered a Kolossos basket to tie the game 47-47 at halftime, Gazzetta reported. He had 24 points in the first half, Sport24 noted, more than half of his team's total at the break, per ERT Sports. Gazzetta pointed out that he did it in just 16 minutes on the floor, in its halftime piece. That is ridiculous efficiency.

The third quarter was a proper fight. It was 56-56 in the 25th minute, Sport24 wrote, and then threes from Harris and Kreuser gave Kolossos a 60-56 edge, per Gazzetta. Osman, Foster and Moore pulled PAOK level at 62-62, but Kreuser and Willis answered again, and the islanders took a 66-62 lead into the fourth. ERT Sports made a striking point: PAOK held the lead for less than ten of the 40 minutes in this game.

Trinchieri found the answer with a smaller lineup. He went with Chougkaz, Gray, Hudgins, Foster and Osman, and that group ran off seven straight points to go up 69-66, Gazzetta wrote. Foster then scored five in a row for 74-70, which Sport24 timed at the 34th minute, in its report. Osman's seventh three and an and-one from Moore pushed the lead to six at 80-74, per Gazzetta. For the first time all afternoon, PAOK looked in control.

It did not stay simple. Foster missed free throws down the stretch and PAOK only led 86-81, then Willis hit a remarkable three to make it 86-84, Gazzetta reported. Trinchieri, meanwhile, was thrown out with a second technical foul with 15.8 seconds left, after walking onto the floor to protest, and he watched the finish from the locker room, Sport24 reported. Osman stayed calm and made both free throws for the final 88-84, per Gazzetta.

Osman finished with 37 points on 3 of 4 twos, 7 of 11 threes and 10 of 11 free throws, plus three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 35 minutes, for a PIR of 36, Sport24 and Gazzetta reported. His previous Greek league best was 29, scored for Panathinaikos against PAOK last season, Gazzetta noted. The Turkish forward spent seven seasons in the NBA with Cleveland and San Antonio, then two at Panathinaikos before signing with PAOK in July, per Wikipedia.

He did get some help. Foster added 16 points and eight assists and Hudgins had 11 points with six assists, Sport24 reported, while ERT Sports also singled out Foster as PAOK's second best. Kolossos deserve real credit. Ezra Manjon led them with 16 points, Willis and Harris had 14 each, and Kreuser and Karampelas added 11 apiece, per Sport24's box score. A tired team pushed a deeper, richer roster all the way to the final seconds.

PAOK assistant Max Menetti, who finished the game in charge, told SKAI: "We were coming off a bad game. We had to respond and be solid." He added, "We are a new team and we are learning step by step. Osman had the ball in the right spot" (translated from Greek, via Gazzetta). Kolossos coach Aris Lykogiannis said forcing PAOK to play Osman 35 minutes showed how hard they had to work, and added that he was not at all happy with the crowd turnout in Rhodes (translated from Greek, via Gazzetta).

My take: PAOK will not love the tape from this one. They trailed for most of the game, the offense stalled for long stretches of the first half, and the late free throw misses nearly turned a solid finish into a disaster. But good teams win ugly games on the road, and having a player like Osman who can score 24 in a half is exactly why PAOK brought him in. The ejection is the part I would want cleaned up. With this schedule, they need their coach on the bench, not in the locker room.

There is no rest for either side. PAOK host Ulm in the EuroCup on Wednesday, October 21, at 20:00, then welcome AEK on Saturday, October 24, at 17:30, per Sport24's schedule. AEK arrive off their own narrow win over Mykonos. Kolossos head to Lisbon to face Sporting on October 21, as Lykogiannis mentioned after the game. For more on Greek teams and Greek athletes around the world, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. Rhodes made PAOK sweat, but Osman made sure they flew home happy.

Sources: Sport24, Gazzetta, ERT Sports, Wikipedia.

Image: White and black flag with a double-headed eagle in PAOK colors by Sportingn, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).