Tough loss against Efes Istanbul: FC Bayern Basketball disappointed on the road against the in-form EuroLeague winners of 2021 and 2022, losing 83:109 (49:53). After nine consecutive victories, the German cup winners surrendered the tie-breaker against the now equally scored Turks (first leg: 86:71). Particularly on the guard positions, the defense against Efes' top stars like Larkin (28 points) proved ineffective.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul - FC Bayern Basketball 109:86 (53:49)
- FCBB:Carsen Edwards (19 points), Vladimir Lucic (18, 5/5 three-pointers), Serge Ibaka (15, 6 rebounds), Leandro Bolmaro (10), Francisco (9), Devin Booker (8, 5 rebounds), Andreas Obst (3), Niklas Wimberg (2), Danko Brankovic (2), Isaac Bonga, Nick Weiler-Babb, Niels Giffey
- Top scorer Efes:Shane Larkin (28 points)
- RefereeMatej Boltauzer, Rain Peerandi, Marcin Kowalski
- Attendance15.124 (sold-out)
Momentum lost in 83 seconds
The guests led 26:17 after a strong start, but quickly conceded the equalizer - and already faced their first deficit at the beginning of the second quarter, 28:29 (11.).
Efes' deep rotation increased the pace, while Bayern adjusted with alternating defenses. Lucic stabilized the offense again, but Efes' aces like Thompson, Larkin, and Clyburn countered with individual actions. The favorite punished two Munich mistakes in the own half, leading to halftime.
Poor defense
The opening of the second half, with two turnovers and two three-pointers by Istanbul in just 83 seconds definitively shifted the momentum after the break - 49:59. Larkin had already scored 20 points (ending with 28), while FCBB no longer played as a team and seemed unfocused.
At 54:69, the game had already slipped away, a 5:20 breakdown. They conceded 35 points in the third quarter, and the uncertainty didn't dissipate. Bolmaro (10), Ibaka (15), Lucic (18), and Edwards (19) all scored in double figures.
Quotes:
Pablo Laso, Head coach FC Bayern Basketball: "Congratulations to Efes, they deserve this win. They made good decisions right from the start. We didn't look good defensively or offensively, even when we were ahead. It certainly wasn't a good day for us, even though they obviously played a great game and had excellent shooting percentages. We had many turnovers, which mainly made the difference. We need to learn from these mistakes, and it's clear that we're still in the playoff race. It will be very difficult after today, but we will fight until the end."
Andreas Obst: "I think today we were brought back to reality in the EuroLeague. We weren't ready to play against Efes, who were very physical. We couldn't control them. We were too focused on acting rather than reacting, and we were a bit behind. Too many turnovers, the rebounds were okay, but defensively they got too many open shots - and when they get into a rhythm, they're tough to stop."