Now it’s crunch time: Only two rounds remain in the EuroLeague before ten of the 18 teams advance to the eagerly awaited postseason. So far, only the new leader in the standings, Fenerbahce Istanbul (20-12 wins), and joint contender Olympiacos Piraeus have secured their playoff spots. For Bayern Basketball (19-13), despite weeks of injuries to Devin Booker and Oscar da Silva, everything is still possible between fourth and tenth place (starting from seventh, play-ins apply). After their spectacular win over rival Partizan Belgrade, the surprise team of the competition currently sits in fifth place after 32 game days.
This means that Gordon Herbert's team still has everything in its own hands before facing two tough challenges—this Thursday in Belgrade against Maccabi Tel Aviv and next week against title contender Fenerbahce.
Thursday’s game will take place in the unusual atmosphere of the nearly empty Nikolic Hall at 8:30 PM. The matchup against Fenerbahce (April 10) will tip off at 8:30 PM in the sold-out SAP Garden. As always, both games will be broadcast on MagentaSport.
"They Deserve the Utmost Respect"
Head coach Gordon Herbert maintains the same approach he has followed all season: "It’s just the next game." When asked if he calculates the different playoff scenarios, he replied, "No, that’s too confusing for me—I’m not smart enough for that. We just try to win the next game and then see what happens."
Regarding the unique atmosphere of playing without fans, Herbert acknowledged, "It's definitely strange. That’s why we need to create our own atmosphere and generate even more energy from within the team."
Maccabi, however, comes into the game in top form. "They have recently won four games in a row and are now playing at their highest level. That deserves the utmost respect because they have nothing left to play for, yet they never gave up."
Maccabi’s Remarkable Resilience
Due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, Tel Aviv is once again forced to play its home games in Belgrade, just as it did last year, and must do so without its fans. Despite this, head coach Oded Kattash’s team has put together an impressive record: Israel’s most successful club has won eight of its ten victories this season in its Serbian substitute venue, which typically hosts only around 200 spectators.
Moreover, Maccabi has won four of its last six games, currently playing some of its best basketball of the season—including victories over Fenerbahce (94-76) and third-placed Monaco (91-88). Recently, they even pushed defending champion Panathinaikos (3rd place, 92-99) and in-form Efes Istanbul (6th place, 88-90) to the brink of defeat.
A Tough Opponent
Bayern has already experienced Maccabi’s offensive firepower firsthand in their December matchup. The visitors scored 50 points in the first half and dominated inside the paint before Bayern responded with a strong 31-21 final quarter to secure a 98-93 victory.
Now, with the stakes higher than ever, Bayern must be ready for another intense battle.
Booker Returns to Practice
The top scorers for the three-time EuroLeague champion are forward Jaylen Hoard (15 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game), who returned to the squad in Athens after an injury break, Lithuanian playmaker Rokas Jokubaitis (12.5 points, 4.8 assists) in his breakout season, and the in-form wing player Roman Sorkin (12.9 points). In recent weeks, US forward Levi Randolph (11.9 points) has also improved his scoring average. Additionally, in December, Maccabi signed center Trevion Williams (8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds) from Berlin to strengthen their frontcourt.
National team player Andreas Obst commented, "Of course, we keep an eye on the standings, but we’re not doing any big calculations—we’re just focusing on the next step. Maccabi is a very talented team, extremely dangerous with their energy and passion. The situation with the venue isn’t ideal, but it seems to have brought them even closer together. They’ve won several games recently and looked really strong. This will be a serious game because they want to win, and so do we. The unusual circumstances are secondary—we’re focusing on the game itself."
As hoped, Bayern’s center Devin Booker rejoined team practice at the beginning of the week—nearly eight weeks after suffering a knee injury in the home game against Milan. Whether he will be ready for a comeback will only be determined after Wednesday’s practice. Coach Gordon Herbert said, "Today was his first full five-on-five training session. We’ll have to see how he feels afterward and tomorrow. But he looks really fit, and both the medical staff and he himself have done an outstanding job."