Jessup verändert das Spiel, Bayern gewinnt 86:70

The upward trend continues: With a convincing display of determination in their fourth game in seven days, Bayern's basketball team defeated Italian champions Virtus Bologna 86:70 (41:38) on Thursday evening. With their second EuroLeague win in a row, Munich drew level with the visitors (both 4:4) in Spencer Dinwiddie's debut and performed significantly better than in last season's home game (72:82). 

Obst (21) and Mike (15) led the scoring. However, after Voigtmann in the first half (10), da Silva (9) and, above all, Jessup (12), who only came off the bench in the 25th minute and changed the game in the decisive phase, once again made an enormous contribution. Another detail: Jovic played eight of the 21 assists and made five steals.

Top scorer Obst sacrifices himself in defense  

While Dinwiddie (6) made his debut despite jet lag and zero team training, Giffey (infection) was still sidelined. His team scored its first three-pointers through Obst and Lucic, but after a 13:6 start, the expected battle of attrition developed. Dinwiddie checked in for the first time at 5:09, but da Silva sank the next three-pointer from the corner to make it 21:17 (12th). Bayern remained ahead, moving the ball well to the board several times (34:27/16th), but neglected their defense in the minutes before the break: Bologna scored at a high percentage in the zone (38:38/40).

Boxscore

Debutant Dinwiddie regains the lead

After the break, Virtus took the lead for the first time at 42:41 through Edwards (16). Bayern played too slowly here and didn't score for almost three minutes – 46:51 (24th minute). But Dinwiddie regained the lead with his first points and Jessup came onto the court for the first time. Everyone took a drop of energy, including the fans.

A hangtime layup by Obst and Jessup's next three-pointer increased the lead to 75:61 (36th minute), and the celebrations began in the stands, and rightly so. Obst showed his skills from outside once again, and FCBB dominated the final quarter 25:15. A good win.

Quotes 

Gordon Herbert, Head Coach FC Bayern Basketball: The first 25 minutes felt like being at the dentist, not much was happening. But in the last 15 minutes, we found our energy. Andi Obst did a great job against Edwards and sacrificed himself in defense. Then JJ (Jessup) came in and made the difference for us. He hadn't played in the previous 25 minutes, and with him and the group at the end, we found the energy. It was the fourth game in seven days, and I'm very proud of our players for fighting through the fatigue. (...) In the last two games, I liked our defense in the second half. (...)

JJ plays very well even without the ball; he doesn't need it. With him, the rhythm of the game improved. But his defense was also outstanding in the last 15 minutes. Two days ago, Xavier (Rathan-Mayes) took over at the end, today it was JJ. We have good competition with 15 players, which is good for us. All of them can play, that has to be our strength. (...)

I expect Spencer to settle in quickly, he understands the game and is a smart guy. He made some very good passes. I think he fits in really well with us, also in the locker room, easy. We have training on Saturday and Sunday. There's no training in the NBA. That will be new for him."

Justinian Jessup: In the second half, I tried to bring energy; tried to be aggressive (...) in offensive and defensive plays. We succeeded in doing that together. We made shots, moved the ball well, and played at a good pace. (...) I expect a win in Paris. We want to build on what we've achieved in the last two home games." 

Spencer Dinwiddie: "The fans were great. They brought a lot of energy. It was fun. It was a team victory today. (...) I've been here for 36 hours, but I'm giving everything to contribute to success. (...) It was a different game against Real. Against Bologna, we weren't behind and finished the game well. (...) We want to win at Bayern. I'm still too new to make predictions, but we have a good team that can achieve a lot. (...) I know Gordie from my time in Brooklyn. He raved about the city and the conditions. I want to win with the city.”

Andreas Obst: "In the first half, we let Virtus get into the game. In the second half, we got a better grip on things. We made our shots and everyone brought good energy. (...) We need to communicate a lot as a team. We still need to get to know each other and improve as a team (...) JJ had some good defensive plays and got a lot of rebounds. He has talent on offense, so we're not surprised when he makes shots. (...) Spencer will help us a lot with his experience and talent. We need to communicate a lot with him now, too."