Bayern can't surpass Paris

That hurts, but it's far from over: The Bayern basketball team couldn’t secure the hoped-for away win in Paris, as 50 points in the second half weren’t enough for their 17th victory of the season. In front of 8,200 spectators, the German champions lost a high-level duel 88-93 (38-47) despite a strong fighting performance and had to let the French team draw level in wins.

The Bayern team will travel directly to Chemnitz on Friday, where they will face the Niners in a BBL matchup on Sunday (4:30 PM).

Co-top scorer Booker was already missing (doing rehab), but shortly after the start, da Silva had to leave the game as well, also due to a knee issue. Unfortunately, he stayed in the locker room.

Boxscore

A lot of hectic moments in general, Paris was slightly better at hitting the three-pointer and grabbed more rebounds (15-28/13). Edwards, with 29 points, and Obst, with 20, led Bayern to cut the deficit to 25:30, but Paris then went on a 9-0 run. The opponent was much more aggressive on defense, and turnovers started to pile up.

Lucic’s dunk to make it 51-55

More physicality was required in the second half, but two three-pointers from the hosts initially kept the deficit around ten points since the second quarter (45-55/24). Lucic’s dunk to make it 51-55 had the potential to be a game-changer. Bayern now picked up the pace and hit six three-pointers in the third quarter, the last one from Voigtmann to make it 68-71 (30).

However, Shorts’ individual quality kept Paris in the lead, with Lo assisting with layups. Until 84:87, just two minutes before the end, Bayern fought fiercely, but surrendered rebounds (32-39) and the defense against the guards were ultimately decisive: Munich couldn’t fully surpass Paris.

Quotes:

Gordon Herbert, Head Coach FC Bayern Basketball: "In the first half, we gave up too many rebounds at our own basket, as well as loose balls. That gave them many second-chance opportunities. That was the big difference in the first half. (...) In the fourth quarter, we should have used our fouls better. But the key today was the rebounds. (...) I knew Maodo would have a good game against us. In transition, he’s hard to stop."

Vladimir Lucic: "It was a very close game, and we had two or three chances to take control and shift the momentum in our favor. Unfortunately, we chose the wrong defense or offense at those moments. We had a lot of problems with their offensive rebounds. In the end, they had the individual quality of Shorts and then also Maodo. Still, we fought hard until the very end. The season is now at a critical stage, and we need to be ready for the next game."

Next Games:

• Sonntag, 2. März, 16.30 Uhr: 22. easyCredit BBL-Spieltag, Niners Chemnitz – FCBB

• Donnerstag, 6. März, 20.30 Uhr: 27. EuroLeague-Spieltag, FCBB – Roter Stern Belgrad (SAP Garden)

• Sonntag, 9. März, 18 Uhr: 22. easyCredit BBL-Spieltag, FCBB – MLP Academics Heidelberg (BMW Park)

• Dienstag, 11. März, 20 Uhr:  23. easyCredit BBL-Spieltag, Bamberg Baskets – FCBB