© Stickel
After two narrow losses, both on the international stage and in the league, the Bayern basketball team needs to prove itself all over again: On Gameday 32 of the EuroLeague, the new team from Dubai will make its first visit to Munich; tip-off at SAP Garden is set for Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. Following the unnecessary 88:89 away loss in the first leg in mid-December, the German champions are looking to get revenge against the ambitious project from the Emirate, whose team, however, is nearly back to full strength after various injuries and still has a chance at making the playoffs.
“Perhaps the best roster in the EuroLeague”
On Tuesday, however, Dubai Basketball suffered a setback with a 74:88 loss in the rescheduled game at Partizan. After building a clear lead, Belgrade dominated the 11th-place team (16:15 record) 50:27 in the second half. Bayern (13:18) has lost sight of the play-ins but remains highly motivated, as national team player Johannes Voigtmann emphasizes: “Dubai has a lot of talent, especially on offense; they’re in the race for the playoffs. For us, it’s about playing solid defense. We absolutely want to win and keep our mathematical chances of making the postseason alive, even if they’re very slim.”
In the first leg, Bayern let a seemingly certain victory slip away with a final turnover; a low point in the midst of a streak of eight consecutive road losses. Their record since the start of the year is clearly positive (10:5), despite last week’s 80:81 drama against Efes Istanbul. Dubai has won six of its last ten games, but must now play its home games in Sarajevo due to the outbreak of war in the Middle East. In the Adriatic League, Red Star Belgrade was recently defeated by a wide margin, 114:91.
Dwayne Bacon is the visitors' leading scorer | © EuroLeague
Star signing Musa is back
The 19-man roster is stacked with talent, and Bosnian Dzanan Musa (12.7 ppg), acquired from Real Madrid, is now the much-anticipated reinforcement following a lengthy injury. The leading scorer is forward Dwayne Bacon (15.7 ppg), followed by center Mfiondu Kabengele (14.1, 6.0 rpg), McKinley Wright (12.9), and Filip Petrusev (12.8). Point guard Aleksa Avramovic (9.8) was on the bench on Tuesday but did not see any playing time.
Bayern coach Svetislav Pesic sees his team facing a tough challenge against the league newcomer: “Dubai may even have the best roster in the EuroLeague, with a lot of talent. The only thing they lack is consistency, because this is a new team. But they can beat any favorite; they’ve already proven that multiple times. It’s not easy for us after two close losses against Efes and in the BBL. But as a team that wants to keep developing, we also have to learn from setbacks. And this game is now our first chance to prove that.”
In light of the public transportation strike, the FCBB recommends arriving early, as increased traffic is expected. There are 600 bicycle parking spaces available around the SAP Garden.