Bayern Triumph 86-82 in Paris

When the captain hammered the ball through the hoop in the final second, there was no holding back: Bayern’s basketball team clinched a thrilling 86-82 (53-42) victory in Paris, celebrating their third straight EuroLeague win. The German champions delivered a strong first half, but nearly succumbed to the French side’s offensive onslaught in the third quarter (11-26)—only to strike back with ice-cold precision in the closing minutes. Rathan-Mayes (16 points) drained three triples down the stretch, before Dinwiddie, in the final 47 seconds, sealed the deal for Munich with a tough contested three, a defensive play, and the decisive assist to Lucic (12 points, matching Obst and Gabriel).

Boxscore

Winning the Battle of the Boards

No fake news here: Bayern out-rebounded the EuroLeague’s top rebounding team (42-40) and now boast a positive 5-4 record. The team heads straight from France to Vechta, where they’ll face Rasta on Sunday (6 p.m.). In the EuroLeague, they’ll host FC Barcelona next Wednesday (8:30 p.m., SAP Garden).

Gordie Herbert’s squad was once again shorthanded, with Jovic (illness), Giffey (personal reasons), and Voigtmann remaining in Munich. But the rest of the team matched the hosts’ intensity from the tip-off, surging ahead 19-12 (7th minute) after a Mayes three. Paris struggled against Bayern’s trap defense, and the visitors extended their lead in the second quarter with two Gabriel dunks, a Dinwiddie triple, a classic Lucic, and a Mike three-pointer to make it 37-23 (15th minute).

Big Shots from Rathan-Mayes and Dinwiddie

Paris never let up—Hifi (21 points) attacked relentlessly, Robinson (22) scored, but Baldwin also stepped up, pushing the lead to 51-35 (18th minute). However, the tenth turnover just before halftime exposed a problem. After the break, more turnovers and early foul trouble meant nerves were tested as well as energy: 58-58, and the comfortable lead was gone in just five and a half minutes.

A 5-0 run steadied the ship, with Mayes and Obst reclaiming the lead (72-69, 34th minute). Paris began to feel the pace, but three wild Mayes triples made it 81-74 (39th minute). A 5-0 Paris run suddenly put everything back in doubt, but Dinwiddie finally hit a three (0:47), grabbed the crucial defensive rebound, and sent the ball forward to Lucic—dunk, victory.

Quotes:

Gordon Herbert, Head Coach FC Bayern Basketball: “The guys did a really good job controlling the tempo in the first 15 minutes. Then, towards the end of the second quarter and the start of the third, they went on a great run. But in the crucial moments, we managed to weather the storm. Xavier hit some big shots, but so did Herrera—it was a real duel, with one shot after another falling. Until Spencer hit a tough shot at the end and, most importantly, grabbed a huge rebound when we were only up by two. (…) It’s so tough to play against Paris, with their physicality and intensity, and they’re the best offensive rebounding team in the league. Most of the time, we handled that pressure really well. We could have attacked the paint even more. But huge credit to my team—this is a big win.”

Vladimir Lucic: “I said it already at halftime: Paris always plays with the same intensity, whether they’re ahead or down by 20. In the third quarter and at the start of the fourth, we let them play their game, but we came back. In the end, our individual talent made the difference—we hit tough shots and, fortunately, secured a big win in Paris.”

Wenyen Gabriel: “We expected this tough game against Paris because the coach prepared us well. Paris can always come back, even when they’re behind—we knew that. In the end, we hit the important shots and played good offense. Paris boxes out really well; they’re a team that wins games with offensive rebounds. The intensity was very high, and this win is very important for us. We stayed resilient, and that’s really valuable considering the tough stretch of away games ahead.”