It’s the final third of the regular season, Game day 24, and the table is nerve-wracking – and the Bayern basketball team is right in the midst of the EuroLeague postseason fight. Currently in 9th place with a 13-10 record, the Munich team is sitting on a play-in spot, while their next opponent, Zalgiris Kaunas (11-12), aims to return to one after a strong start to the season.
Starting at 7 PM on Thursday, (live on MagentaSport) the German champions will look for their fifth away victory, but the task is famously tough: Lithuania’s record champions have celebrated seven of their eleven wins in the Zalgirio Arena in front of approximately 15,000 fans.
Top scorer from the NBA: Lonnie Walker
"The atmosphere in Kaunas is always special, and duels with Coach Trinchieri are always interesting. He revolutionized basketball in Germany a bit with his style back when he was with Bamberg. Of course, it's said that this game is very important. Because the race between second and twelfth place is incredibly tight. This scenario is amazing. But for us, it must first and foremost be the next game, and that's what I’m focusing on. We are a bit bigger and tougher this time compared to the first game, without Giffey and Lucic. That could be useful for us in Kaunas," said FCBB head coach Gordon Herbert before the flight to Lithuania.
The first leg in November saw Bayern narrowly win 77:74 (38:28), despite the absence of Vladimir Lucic and Niels Giffey due to injury. The Lithuanians come off a spectacular battle at defending champions Panathinaikos, where they dominated until the end of the third quarter (64:55/27.) before Athens overtook them in the last eleven minutes with a 32:6 finish, winning 89:76 (34:51). Like Bayern (two wins in the last five games), Zalgiris (1-4) struggled through a tough January.
Sunday at the SAP Garden against Berlin
On Andrea Trinchieri's team, the NBA-recruited US guard Lonnie Walker has taken on the offensive leadership role with 14.0 points per game, having made his debut in the first leg. The Frenchman Sylvain Francisco (13.1 PpS, 4.1 ApS), who moved from Munich, is the playmaker, and behind him, the local group led by Edgaras Ulanovas (6.2) and Dovydas Giedraitis (6.9) forms a defensively strong backbone.
The Bayern team will still have to do without Shabazz Napier in Kaunas due to his flu infection. The American may be an option on Sunday (16:30/Dyn) when Bayern plays their first Bundesliga game at the SAP Garden in the return leg against Alba Berlin.
"The loss in the last home game (against Bologna) may have been unexpected, but we were able to bounce back in Berlin even without Shabazz," says Captain Lucic regarding the EuroLeague situation. "It's so tight right now, many teams will fight until the end for the playoffs or play-ins, and it might come down to a few points. Kaunas is one of the hardest away games ever. They weren't at their best in Munich, as Walker had just joined the team. Still, they almost won against us. Walker is one of the most talented players in the EuroLeague, and they have Andrea on the bench. But for us, the moments to show character are now coming."
The Next Games of FCBB
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Thursday, January 30, 7:00 PM: 24th EuroLeague Game Day, Zalgiris Kaunas – FCBB
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Sunday, February 2, 4:30 PM: 16th easyCredit BBL Game Day, FCBB – Alba Berlin (SAP Garden)
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Tuesday, February 4, 8:45 PM: 25th EuroLeague Game Day, FCBB – Armani Olimpia Milan (SAP Garden)
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Thursday, February 6, 8:30 PM: 26th EuroLeague Game Day, FCBB – Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne (SAP Garden)
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Sunday, February 9, 3:00 PM: 17th easyCredit BBL Game Day, Rasta Vechta – FCBB