73:88 in favor of the EuroLeague champion

Three-quarters on par with the champion, but ultimately without a chance of victory at Real Madrid:

The Bayern basketball team, in the emotional return of head coach Pablo Laso, put on a courageous and skillfully appealing performance for a long time but had to ultimately accept a 73:88 (37:42) defeat. For the German Cup winner, it was the eighth loss on the 14th matchday, while Real remains the sole and confident leader in the standings. Isaac Bonga impressed with 15 points.

Next up is Ulm on Sunday

In the EuroLeague, Bayern now has three home games (starting with Efes on December 20), and on Sunday (3 PM), they face Ulm in the sold-out BMW Park in the BBL.

All Stats

Standing ovations for Laso

Initially, the 8,500 Madrilenians gave their longtime successful coach a moving reception, visibly not leaving Laso unaffected. His team needed some time to acclimate but soon recovered from an 0:8 deficit and won the first quarter 23:19.

As expected, rebounding against the tower Tavares & Co. posed a problem. The defending champion generated a good handful more shots by halftime, establishing a slight lead (40:33/19.).

57:63 before the final quarter

After the break, November's MVP Campazzo took charge, and Bayern fell behind 45:57 (25.). However, they attacked the basket, narrowing the gap to 57:61.

Being in the game before the last quarter was a first success. However, Real pulled away with all its class and a 14:0 run, leading 77:59 - the game was lost in these four and a half minutes.

Reactions:

Pablo Laso: "We know how difficult it is to play against such a team. You don't have to play perfectly, but they punish every mistake. While we didn't make many mistakes, we made enough for them to win. We did a good job on both ends of the court in some situations, but we're talking about a great team. As I mentioned, they punish you for mistakes or missed shots. We're talking about the current best team in the EuroLeague. (...) In the last quarter, we lost our offensive rhythm. Real is a powerful team; they opened up the court and had good shooting percentages. (...)

The applause for me before the game was very emotional; I will remember that for many years. The president was in the locker room before the game. It's great when people have good memories of your time here and respect what you have accomplished. However, I wanted the applause to end, and the game to finally begin. I would have liked to win the game and receive applause for the victory. (...)

Friends don't help you in such a game; Facundo, Sergio, and Chacho are just too good players. The two three-pointers from Hezonja were the key moment for me. And Rudy came back in and gave them a defensive push. They are a great team and ready for the title again."

Isaac Bonga: "It was a tough game against the EuroLeague champion. I think we lost our rhythm for two or three minutes; a team like that punishes that. All in all, I would say it was a good game for us."