The favorite held on by a thread: The weakened Bayern basketball team lost their penultimate EuroLeague home game against FC Barcelona 79:87 (30:47) on Thursday evening, with an 11:22 in the second quarter setting the tone. However, in front of 6,500 fans, FCBB, led by Nick Weiler-Babb and Serge Ibaka (each with 17 points), showed great morale against the deep-seated title contender and secured the final quarter.
Mathematically, tenth place in the premier class is not yet settled, but the cup winner is now likely to focus more on first place in the BBL; this needs to be defended again on Sunday in Bamberg (3:30 p.m./Dyn).
FC Bayern Basketball - FC Barcelona 79:87 (30:47)
FCBB:
Nick Weiler-Babb (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), Serge Ibaka (17, 12 rebounds), Vladimir Lucic (13), Isaac Bonga (9, 6 rebounds), Sylvain Francisco (8, 4 assists), Carsen Edwards (6, 3 assists), Elias Harris (6), Niklas Wimberg (2), Dino Radoncic (1), Leandro Bolmaro, Ivan Khrachenkov, Nelson Weidemann
Topscorer FC Barcelona:
Jabari Parker (15 points)
Referee
Ilija Belosevic, Milan Nedovic, Amit Balak
Attendance
6.500 (sold out)
Against Barcelona, Bayern once again started the game with a significant handicap - in addition to Brankovic, Booker, and Obst, World Champion Giffey was also absent due to illness. The duel began evenly, with the clear size advantages of the Spanish star ensemble becoming apparent early on (11:19/8.).
Weiler-Babb with confidence
The man-to-man defense was not effective at the start of the second quarter, and many quick points from Barcelona also had their effect on Munich's offense - 21:43 (16.). The game seemed to take a clear course, with only three three-pointers falling; a shot by Ben during the timeout was enthusiastically celebrated but not recognized.
FCBB run to 77:83
At the start of the second half, FCBB narrowed the gap to 36:48, but a perfect game would have been necessary for a direct connection. Lucic (13), Ibaka (17/12 rebounds), and top scorer Weiler-Babb played consistently with confidence until the Munich team reached 77:83 before the final 64 seconds. However, Barcelona's massive collective made fewer mistakes.
Quotes:
Pablo Laso, Head Coach of FC Bayern Basketball: "Congratulations to Barcelona on the win. It's easy to explain: We worked well in the first half, but we didn't make any open shots. In the second half, we played similarly but shot better and got back into the game. We could have made it even closer. The team fought until the end. But in basketball, you have to make baskets, especially against such a good team. (...) At halftime, I told the guys they were doing a good job. However, we had to change some defensive things, and we did. In the offense, confidence was lacking for too long, and we also lacked players. (...) Over 34 games, you may remember the last shot in Kaunas that we missed, sometime in November. Or players who were missing due to injury at the wrong moments. That's something you can't control. Additionally, we lacked some experience in crucial moments during the round, which could have given us more consistency. (...) Today, you feel bad because we did good things, but just didn't make enough shots. (...) Now, I'm focusing on Sunday in Bamberg because it's important for us to stay at the top of the BBL table. We will approach the last two games in the EuroLeague like the first one. We will give it our all, even if it's against Panathinaikos and Monaco. (...) Because the fans have been supporting us since the first game against Alba."
Nick Weiler-Babb: "The problem this season is that we're chasing a deficit in so many games. We put ourselves in such a bad position in the first half or the first quarter, and today Barcelona's lead was too big to turn the game around in the end."