Back in Munich: FC Bayern Basketball arrived back at BMW Park on Wednesday afternoon. Time is short, and on Thursday evening the German champions want to present themselves differently than they did 48 hours earlier for long stretches of the 78:86 in the madhouse of the “Belgrade Arena”: From 8.45 p.m., the first clash with Paris Basketball, who have earned the right to play in the premier class as winners of the EuroCup, will take place in the SAP Garden, which is sold out with 11,200 fans.
And the French team is likely to come to Munich's Olympiapark buoyed by its first win on the third EuroLeague game day: The newcomers surprisingly defeated defending champions Panathinaikos 84:80 (45:39) in front of almost 12,000 spectators on Tuesday and are now level on points with Gordon Herbert's team (1:2).
France's cup winners outplayed Panathinaikos
The head coach of FC Bayern Basketball already got a picture of Paris on his return from Serbia. “They had three good games,” said the Canadian. “For us, it's a game in which we want to hit back after a disappointing first half at Partizan. Our performance was better in the second. It will be a different game because Paris play at a very high tempo. The key for us will be to be much more aggressive in defense.”
Paris Basketball was founded in 2017 with ambitious goals and has been a first-class club since 2021. Having won the 2024 Cup and achieved international success, the club has arrived where it should be. President and one of the investors is the US entrepreneur and former GM of the NBA club Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn.
Speed through TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi
The new coach is former Spain and NBA professional Tiago Splitter, the 39-year-old Brazilian's first stint as head coach after two assistant jobs overseas. The core of the team, including former Bonn BBL professionals such as Leon Kratzer, Tyson Ward, TJ Shorts and Sebastian Herrera, has remained the same. Playmaker Shorts has scored 16.3 points per game so far (6.3 ApS), followed by the agile French guard Nadir Hifi (13.7 PpS), Collin Malcolm (10.7), world champion Maodo Lo (9.0), who transferred from Milan, and Kevarrius Hayes (from Kaunas/8.3; 4.7 ApS).
Paris, led by top scorers Hifi (20) and Shorts (16), won a wild game against Panathinaikos despite a poor three-point percentage of 24 percent and losing the rebounding duel (38:42). The Greek favorites were obviously affected by the hosts' speed, conceding 15 turnovers - which the French side converted into 21 points.
It remains to be seen whether Bayern will be without Niels Giffey (finger surgery) and Vladimir Lucic (muscle contusion) again. The captain will be examined in detail after his arrival in Munich. Former FCBB guard Lo was also absent against Athens due to injury.
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Where is the game live on TV?
You can watch the EuroLeague game between FCBB and Paris live on MagentaSport on Thursday from 20:30.
How can I follow the game in the app?
With the Game Center of our FCBB App you won't miss a single moment of the game! The Live Game Blog keeps you up to date and close to the action. The statistics center gives you a clear overview of the numbers and with the MY PLAYER function you can even follow your favorite player in real time - with individual statistics and highlight videos. That's not enough for you? After the match, you can also find the match report, post-match reports and highlights on the website and in the app.
What do FCBB's social media channels show from the match?
Pictures from the dressing room, the team's arrival in the arena and the warm-up - even before tip-off, @fcbayernbasketball's social media channels offer you exclusive keyhole views of the team. As soon as the game starts, for example, you'll always be up-to-date with real-time video highlights on X. You won't miss any cracking dunks or insane buzzer-beaters. And even after the game, we provide you with all the important information and votes. So you are always well informed and very close to the team.
FCBB's next games:
Thursday, October 17, 8:45 p.m.: 4th game day of the EuroLeague, FCBB - Paris Basket (SAP Garden)
Saturday, October 19, 4 p.m.: 5th game day of the easyCredit BBL, Syntainics MBC - FCBB
Friday, October 25, 8:45 p.m.: 5th game day of the EuroLeague, FCBB - Olympaikos Piräus (SAP Garden)
Sunday, October 27, 4:30 p.m.: 6th game day of the easyCredit BBL: FCBB - Fit/One Würzburg Baskets (BMW Park)
Tuesday, October 29, 9 p.m.: 6th game day of the EuroLeague, Virtus Bologna - FCBB