All good things come in threes? The Spanish week for Bayern Basketball in the EuroLeague ends on Thursday with the important home game against Valencia Basket, after the defeats in Vítoria and against Real Madrid, the Munich team wants to get its fifth win of the season in the third duel with a top club from the strong ACB. In view of the unchanged personnel situation, however, the question of the remaining energy reserves will probably be decisive again - the game against Valencia is the seventh in 14 days since December 2 (98-89 against Tel Aviv).
The every-48-hours rhythm continues until Saturday evening, when the BBL hosts Braunschweig at the Audi Dome. The games start at 20:30 each night.
A question of energy
Valencia Basket comes to Munich with the tailwind of an overtime home win over Panathinaikos Athens (94-91). With a 6-7 record the Spaniards are right on target and about where the Bavarians (4.9) would probably be with a little more fortune and less sick leave. Captain Vladimir Lucic (elbow) and Augustine Rubit (groin) continue to be out, "two players who produce in the offense," head coach Andrea Trinchieri stated after the game.
In crunch time against Real (68-64), after a 57-56 lead (33rd), which was cheered by the 6,500 fans, his team simply lacked the strength in its legs as they missed open shots to put the game away. "I'm still very proud of my players and the effort they put in," Trinchieri praised his team after a self-sacrificing performance.
Unfortunately, Valencia is particularly dangerous away from home, as evidenced by three wins at Efes (92-91), Olympiakos (83-82), and Partizan (100-96), as well as a razor-thin 79-77 win at league leaders Fenerbahce. "46 hours after a very physical game against Real, we have the next task against a team that is currently playing very well and with a lot of confidence," Trinchieri said of the opponent. "We have to be super focused on defense because Valencia has a great rhythm on offense. I hope that by tip-off we'll have regained some energy and can take all the good things from the Real game."
Top scorers Jones and Dubljevic
The four-time EuroCup winners have a lot of experience at this level, starting with their local hero Bojan Dubljevic (11.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg), 31, who has been playing in Valencia for a decade, and former national player Victor Claver, 34 (5.8 ppg). Valencia's top scorer besides Dubljevic (23) in the win against Athens was US guard Chris Jones (14.9 ppg, 4.9 apg), signed from Villeurbanne.
Also new is guard Jared Harper (9.5 ppg), who makes his European debut after three years in the NBA, and forward James Webb (8.5 ppg), while Cuban center Jasiel Rivero (11.4 ppg) has impressed in his second year. Head Coach since the beginning of the season is the Spanish World and European champion Alex Mumbrú, 43, who previously coached four years in Bilbao.
However, the double burden has so far been a problem for Valencia at home in the ACB, where they are currently unexpectedly behind the playoff places with a similar record (5-6). On the weekend, however, Valencia scored a clear 104-69 win over second-last-place Girona, coached by former Alba coach Aito Reneses.