Belgrade slows down Bayern

The winning streak is temporarily halted: The FC Bayern Basketball team suffered a heavy 77-101 defeat (42-50) at Red Star on the 12th EuroLeague gameday. In front of 19,100 spectators, the defense was unable to disrupt Belgrade's rhythm starting from the second quarter.

The hosts (6-6) delivered what was likely their best performance of the season, racing ahead after halftime with a 25-7 run that made the game unreachable. Their two-point shooting percentage finished at an impressive 70% (28/40). For FCBB, Booker scored 14 points, and Bitim added 13, but they only managed seven three-pointers (24%) this time. Bayern will travel back home on Saturday with an 8-4 record.

Full boxscore

Sunday at the BMW Park: Vechta

On Sunday (6:00 PM/BMW Park), Bayern will host their next Cup opponent, Vechta, in the league, aiming to defend their position at the top of the table. On Thursday (8:30 PM), Baskonia Vítoria will visit SAP Garden for a EuroLeague matchup.

Red Star began with a clear plan to utilize the returning Petrusev (15 of his 25 points in the first quarter) in offense and to aggressively challenge the Munich three-point duo Edwards/Obst defensively. The Serbs took advantage of the early, uneven foul trouble, especially with Babb, leading 14-23 after the first quarter (10').

Bitim scores for the first time

The first eight points by Bitim in a Bayern jersey gave the team some confidence, and Harris followed up with a solid contribution - 28:26, the first lead (13'). However, it didn't last long. On the contrary, veteran Teodosic entered the game, and Bayern conceded a 0-12 run (28-38), with Babb picking up his third foul. The defense allowed Belgrade too much freedom in the pick-and-roll.

Would the zone defense improve after the break? It didn't matter, as Red Star started hitting from the outside as well, moving the ball with assists and extending their lead to 73-49 in just six minutes. In the final quarter, Gordon Herbert rotated his players, and the game was effectively over. On to the next.

Quotes:

Gordon Herbert, Headcoach FC Bayern Basketball: "Nothing worked today. We never found our rhythm after halftime. There were things we could have done better in practice, and you could see that today. So, congratulations to Red Star and the coach - your will, desire, and understanding of how to win individual battles was greater than ours. (…)

Red Star's starting five with Dobric, Kalinic, and McIntyre was a very strong defensive unit. We had opportunities, but when we brought the ball inside, we played much better. In the second half, especially in the first five minutes, we got away from that. They did a great job of attacking the paint against smaller guards, and we have to acknowledge that. (…) We were lucky to only be down by eight at halftime, considering how we played. After that, we just couldn't match the intensity and lost individual battles. They were able to do whatever they wanted and gained confidence."

Elias Harris: "The game was a good lesson for us as a team today. Of course, we had a different plan, but we were caught off guard and lost our composure. Then there was the atmosphere, and things can escalate quickly here. What’s important is that we learn from this, carefully analyze what we need to improve, and take those lessons forward. (…) Red Star came out with a lot of physicality and energy; they attacked our boards and defended us hard on the wings. Mentally, we weren’t ready for that this time, and we need to ensure we are in the future."