The Bayern basketball team squandered the momentum they had hoped to gain from a league victory with a somewhat careless performance on Sunday evening in Berlin. However, there’s little time to dwell on frustration, as the schedule is relentless: every 48 hours brings a new challenge, this time in the EuroLeague. On Tuesday (8 p.m.), Bayern will face Real Madrid, followed by a clash with Italian champions Bologna on Thursday (8:30 p.m.), both at the SAP Garden. Head coach Gordon Herbert and his squad will look to reverse the recent trend, backed by their home fans.
Against the Spanish champions – who ended Bayern’s run last season in the second Play-In round – the FCBB is hoping for their 32nd consecutive sell-out. For the visit of Carsen Edwards and former Bayern player Karim Jallow with Virtus Bologna, a larger ticket contingent is still available.
NBA Veteran Lyles Joins the Kings
With a home win, the German champions could draw level with Real (3-3), whose three losses so far have all come on the road: 68-74 in Bologna, 75-90 at Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, and most recently a heartbreaking 91-92 defeat at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
“Real is basically one of the leading EuroLeague teams every year, and this season is no different—I’m convinced of that,” said head coach Gordon Herbert on Monday. “We’re expecting an energetic game at home in front of our fantastic fans. To win against a team of this quality, we’ll need top teamwork on both ends of the court. Above all, we have to win the rebounding battles and fight for every loose ball.”
Bayern point guard Stefan Jovic added: “They’ve made some changes to their roster this season and have an outstanding team. We have to prepare for a very physical game and give our maximum effort on defense.”
In the ACB, the Spanish side has the same record as Bayern in the easyCredit BBL (3-1). On Sunday, they comfortably defeated Manresa 87-75 at home. The top scorers were star center Walter Tavares, who posted a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds, playmaker Facundo Campazzo, and Usman Garuba (12 points each). German international David Krämer, who joined from ACB rivals after a strong year at Gran Canaria, went scoreless in a brief appearance.
Coach Herbert Calls for “Teamwork”
The “Royals” made a coaching change this summer, bringing in long-time Spanish national team coach Sergio Scariolo, 64. New to the squad under the World and European champion coach is veteran NBA player Trey Lyles (662 games), who arrived from the Sacramento Kings. Alongside the Canadian forward (11.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 15.3 PIR) and role player Krämer (3.4 ppg), the 24-year-old French international Theo Maledon (11.3 ppg, from Paris) and Chuma Okeke (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who played last season in the NBA with Philadelphia and Cleveland, have strengthened the established lineup around playmaker Campazzo. The team’s top scorer remains Mario Hezonja, currently averaging 15.7 points per game.
Bayern are hoping that Niels Giffey, who missed the weekend with a stomach bug, will be able to return to the squad. European champion Johannes Voigtmann is back in training, and his comeback after a two-month injury layoff is expected this week. New signing Spencer Dinwiddie is scheduled to complete his medical tests in the first half of the week. Elias Harris and long-term absentee Rokas Jokubaitis continue their individual rehab programs.