The ordeal isn’t over yet: with the very last play on Friday night in Dubai, FC Bayern’s basketball team missed the chance to end their losing streak — in the final second they conceded the basket for an unnecessary 88:89 (46:42) defeat after giving the ball away once more without much pressure. The points from Obst (21), Voigtmann (15/6 rebounds) and Dinwiddie (14/6 assists) weren’t enough because of that 15th turnover.
Sunday, 3 p.m., in Oldenburg
With this disappointment, the Munich contingent will travel back on Saturday midday and go straight on to Oldenburg, where they already have to play on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Next week brings two EuroLeague games in France, and on Sunday in Cologne the BBL matchup with Telekom Baskets Bonn.
From the Munich squad, Hollatz and Kratzer sat out in Dubai, as did players returning from injury such as Baldwin. In front of an official crowd of 6.000, both teams showcased their strengths early: the hosts ran in transition and scored in the paint, while FC Bayern spaced the floor and hit from three, 20:14 (8’).
However, the first hustle plays came from Dubai, which naturally increased the resistance facing Munich’s offense (29:32/15’). At the other end, top scorer Wright (22) and his teammates got into the lane too easily. Dinwiddie’s third foul after a turnover seemed to usher in an unfortunate phase, but Obst’s third three and defensive resolve prevented a turnaround before the break (44:38/19’).
Dubai Basketball - FC Bayern Basketball 89:88 (42:46)
- FCBB:Andreas Obst (21 Punkte), Jo Voigtmann (15, 6 Rebounds), Spencer Dinwiddie (14, 6 Assists), Oscar da Silva (10, 5 Rebounds), Vladimir Lucic (8, 6 Assists), Wenyen Gabriel (8), Isiaha Mike (5), Stefan Jovic (2), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (2), Justinian Jessup (2), Niels Giffey (1), David McCormack (did not play)
- Topscorer Dubai:McKinley Wright (22 Punkte)
- RefereeMilan Nedovic, Saso Petek und Guido Giovannetti
- Attendance6.017
Obst’s final points aren’t enough
The ominous third quarter began for FC Bayern with two turnovers, though Dubai also started nervously — an opportunity to create some separation: Lucic found da Silva, Voigtmann added an and-one, and suddenly FC Bayern led 56:44 (25’). Still, six turnovers in the period limited it to just a 66:58 advantage heading into the final act.
The rollercoaster picked up speed: Dubai — until then successful from outside only once — hit four threes and took an 83:79 lead (37’). But Lucic and Obst answered in kind, plus a free throw from Voigtmann for 86:83, with a minute and a half to go. Then 86:85, 88:85 through Obst (0:58), 88:87 — and a final, unnecessary turnover 3.2 seconds before the end, as Jovic hesitated. The drama ran its course, and FC Bayern lost the last quarter 22:31 — and the game.
The quotes:
Gordon Herbert, Chefcoach FC Bayern Basketball: “Congratulations to Dubai. I think we played well for three quarters. In the fourth, our one-on-one defense wasn’t good, we gave up offensive rebounds, and we turned the ball over on offense — all of that hurt us. We then had a bit of bad luck in the paint a few times, and they kicked the ball out well for threes. Even so, we had the ball in the last ten seconds and the chance to keep it.”