Bayern loses 78–86 without Lucic

There was more in it: On the third game day of the EuroLeague, the injury-plagued Bayern basketball team suffered a defeat against Partizan Belgrade. In the fully sold-out "Belgrade Arena" with over 20,000 fans, Gordon Herbert's team lost 78-86 (32-49), just 48 hours after their cup win in Bonn.

A first half with eight three-pointers from the hosts and 13 turnovers by Munich prevented a closer contest for too long. However, in the second 20 minutes, the German champions showed a completely different side, winning the final quarter 26-15 in favor of FCBB.

And the games keep coming: After returning on Wednesday afternoon, Bayern will immediately begin preparing for their home game at the SAP Garden against Paris Basket on Thursday (8:45 p.m.), a team that surprised reigning champion Panathinaikos (84-80) on Tuesday. On Saturday (4 p.m.), the German champions will face MBC in Weißenfels.

All the stats from the game

Bolder after the break

The evening began with bad news for Bayern: captain Vladimir Lucic had to sit out the game against his hometown club at short notice. The Serbian forward had taken a hit near the end of the game in Bonn, suffering a muscle contusion. Though he participated in the morning training session, it was ultimately decided not to take any risks. With Giffey also missing, Lucic’s absence was even more painful.

As the game started amid the storm of the pulsating arena, Lucic watched his team get off to a focused start (11-11/6th minute). However, their passive defense against Partizan’s three-point shooting led to a 0-13 run, and Bonga also demonstrated the confidence he gained in Munich from beyond the arc (15-24/10th minute).

72-78, fighting spirit until the end

This momentum further fueled Belgrade (23-45/18th minute), and the Serbian team’s physicality stifled Bayern’s offense. Herbert switched to a zone defense, but initially, the energy level was still lacking.

However, Herbert’s very calm halftime talk had an effect: Bayern came out much bolder, with Edwards scoring twice – suddenly it was only 46-54 (24th minute). The FCBB lost their rhythm again too early, especially as Partizan now attacked the basket more. Youngster Kharchenkov, 18, got some minutes, and the team never gave up (72-78/38th minute). But a perfect crunch time would have been necessary to pull off the victory.

Quotes:

Gordon Herbert, Headcoach FC Bayern Basketball: “In the first half, Partizan moved the ball very well and shot extremely well. We were in a deep hole, but the positive thing was that we fought in the second half with a much better attitude. (…) In the first half, we didn’t use our fouls, we weren’t aggressive enough. They could do whatever they wanted. In the second half, with Carsen Edwards running the ball, we started playing our game, we were much more aggressive and played hard. (…) But away, especially in this arena, against this opponent, it’s always tough to come back. However, I’m satisfied with how we fought in the second half. (…) This is a basketball country, with a great tradition, and the atmosphere was incredible."

Oscar da Silva: "I think we had a similar problem as against Panathinaikos: we gave away too many balls in the first half and allowed the opponent to build up too much. They had their first game at home, and we were playing in Partizan; you have to know what you're up against. They barely missed any three-pointers in the first half and made eight, which obviously doesn't help. In the second half, it was clear that we are not an inferior team. We can't let the opponent get into the game so easily."

Next Games for FCBB:

• Thursday, October 17, 8:45 PM: 4th EuroLeague Matchday, FCBB – Paris Basket (SAP Garden)

• Saturday, October 19, 4 PM: 5th Matchday easyCredit BBL, Syntainics MBC – FCBB

• Friday, October 25, 8:45 PM: 5th EuroLeague Matchday, FCBB – Olympiakos Piraeus (SAP Garden)

• Sunday, October 27, 4:30 PM: 6th BBL Matchday: FCBB – Fit/One Würzburg Baskets (BMW Park)