Game day number 15: Time is flying, even in the EuroLeague, where the first half of the regular season is soon coming to an end. With 9-5 wins, Bayern remains in the top third of the table – they last had such a good record after 14 games in the winter of 2021 during the pandemic. In their tenth season in the premier competition, the Munich team is, as hoped, fighting for their third playoff appearance, after becoming the first German team to achieve this in 2021 and 2022.
Breaking into the top 6 remains a very challenging task, with the last play-in spot being only two wins away. This sets the stage for this Thursday evening, when Bayern will host Maccabi Tel Aviv at SAP Garden starting at 8:45 PM (MagentaSport). Israel's record champions (4-10) lost touch with the middle of the standings after a strong start, but the consistently close results demonstrate the remarkable competitiveness of a team that is known to play "at home" in Belgrade and must now manage without their feared cauldron of 10,400 fans in the Menora Mivtachim Arena.
"Maccabi presents challenges for us both inside and outside, they are certainly better than their current standing," says FCBB center Devin Booker. "But if we focus again on our game and defense, it can go well for us, and that's our goal."
Recently, Maccabi lost 86:88 to FC Barcelona, 91:94 to Olympiakos, and 82:84 to Fenerbahce, but their record could have been different. Coach Oded Kattash is handling the situation in his third year, with the loss of key players last summer, including Lorenzo Brown (Panathinaikos), Josh Nebo (Milan), Wade Baldwin (Fener), and Bonzie Colson (both Fener); Jordan Loyd (Monaco) also returned to Monaco after just two games.
Jokubaitis from Barcelona
A core group remains, including the point guard Tamir Blatt (10.8 PPG, 8.6 APG, 41% 3PT), Jasiel Rivero (10.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG), and Roman Sorkin (9.6). High-quality additions include Lithuanian left-hander Rokas Jokubaitis (11.2 PPG, 5.5 APG), who came from Barcelona, and Levi Randolph (11.6 PPG, 44% 3PT), who moved from Jerusalem.
In the domestic Winner League, where local rival Hapoel Tel Aviv has also heavily invested, games continue to be played at home; the latest was on Tuesday against Haifa, with around 4,000 fans, where David DeJulius (26) and Jaylen Hoard (20) were the top scorers. The Maccabi arena was sold out before that during the derby against Hapoel (97-79), with both teams from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem now having one loss each at the top.
"We must stay on track defensively, as we have since the second half against Baskonia," says head coach Gordon Herbert. "Maccabi has a lot of talent, but we want to control the game again through tempo. I hope that our amazing fans will once again stand behind us like a sixth man and give us the necessary energy."
The Next Games of FCBB
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Thursday, December 12, 8:45 PM: 15th EuroLeague Game Day, FCBB – Maccabi Tel Aviv (SAP Garden)
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Sunday, December 15, 3:00 PM: 10th easyCredit BBL Game Day, Rostock Seawolves – FCBB
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Tuesday, December 17, 7:00 PM: 16th EuroLeague Game Day, AS Monaco – FCBB
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Friday, December 20, 9:00 PM: 17th EuroLeague Game Day, Olimpia Armani Milan – FCBB
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Sunday, December 22, 4:30 PM: 11th easyCredit BBL Game Day, FCBB – EWE Baskets Oldenburg (BMW Park)