Bayern impresses against top team Valencia

That’s how you make a comeback: On Thursday night, FC Bayern Basketball surprised EuroLeague fourth-placed Valencia and avenged their home defeat to Partizan with a 93-89 (53-44) victory. In front of 11,000 fans at the SAP Garden, the German champions also made up for the 64-90 loss from the first meeting and thrilled the crowd with an intense team performance (24 assists) in their ninth win of the season. Ten players scored, with the most effective being Lucic (19), Jessup (16), Mike (14), Dimitrijevic and Obst (both 12).

Sunday against Würzburg

On Sunday, the league leaders host second-placed Würzburg for a top matchup at BMW Park (3 p.m.).

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Bayern were once again far from full strength; in addition to Jovic (concussion) and the other familiar absentees, center McCormack (illness) was also missing. Jessup missed the morning shootaround and played while not fully fit. However, Obst returned and immediately made his mark with five quick points (11-9, 6th minute).

FCBB initially controlled Valencia’s three-point shooting and transition game, but the Spanish side managed to get the ball inside (21-21, 10th minute). Jessup put in a lot of effort early on, and Mike made his presence felt from beyond the arc—34-27 (13th minute). Valencia’s shooters also started to heat up, closing the gap to 42-41 (18th minute). But Bayern stood out with their pace and finished a strong first half to applause.

Top scorer Lucic

Unlike Tuesday, Bayern also started the second half well: after an acrobatic save by Obst, Mike hit his third three-pointer to make it 58-44 (22nd minute). Their mobile defense helped them extend the lead to 64-49 (24th minute), but Valencia’s quality from long range kept them in the game.

It was 79-72 heading into the final quarter, and energy reserves were running low. Valencia cut the lead to 83-77, and several Munich three-pointers bounced out (35th minute). Hollatz and Gabriel picked up their fifth fouls. But Bayern’s aggressive defense wore down the Spaniards, even though Valencia claimed the last few plays.

The Quotes: 

Svetislav Pesic, Head Coach FC Bayern Basketball:
"I am very proud of how we played today. This was definitely the best game since I returned as coach here. We had so many problems before the game and didn’t know until shortly before tip-off who would be able to play. But these problems helped us improve our team spirit and defense. That was important today—controlling transition defense and rebounding. Valencia is the second-best offensive rebounding team in the league and the best in transition offense. Maybe after Olympiacos, they are currently the best team in the EuroLeague for me, with a completely different style. It’s incredible how they play, with full-court defense and, on offense, fast breaks, passing, and shooting. The way we won makes me proud. (…)

Yesterday we talked for a long time and asked ourselves how it was possible that we only got four free throws the whole game against Partizan. Today it was 33, which means: our aggressiveness on defense and offense, our confidence, and very good ball movement—this is how our identity should be. I want us to keep playing and defending at this level and with this intensity."

Justinian Jessup: "That was a super important win. Valencia is a top team, and for us to come out like that, stick to our game plan, and get the win—that’s huge. (…) We have a lot of guys who can shoot threes well, but also versatile players: Luca, Andi, Isiaha can do a lot of things on the court, Neno too. You saw that today, and it really helped us."

Vladimir Lucic: "The goal was to stop Valencia’s transition game. I was there for three years and was coached by Pedro; the team fits his style perfectly. We did a good job stopping them. Of course, we also made mistakes, but overall it was a big win. (…) We wanted to bounce back after the loss to Partizan. Now we’ll rest a bit and then keep going."

Isiaha Mike: "The key was our defensive identity. Since Coach Pesic arrived, he’s emphasized defense and rebounding. I think we did a good job keeping them out of transition, even though they’re one of the best transition teams in the league. (…) We came back and forced them to play half-court offense. Plus, we hit our shots, grabbed rebounds, and got out running. That was a pretty good game. (…) It speaks to our character how we bounced back after Tuesday. We could have been down—I definitely was—but we turned it around quickly. A short memory helps. (…) Andi is our microwave. On the court, he always draws defenders; it was very important to have him. (…) I’m happy for Vladimir, he had a great game today."