Back in Spain: Just two days after leaving the Iberian Peninsula and fighting their way to the top of the Bundesliga table at home, Bayern Basketball have returned. On Tuesday evening (8:30 p.m./MagentaSport), the German champions travel to Valencia Basket for Round 13 – one of the EuroLeague’s most in-form and dominant home teams in recent weeks. In the new Roig Arena, which seats 16,000 fans, the four-time EuroCup winners boast a 5-1 home record and stand at 7-5 overall. But Munich (5-7) are determined to stay in touch with the upper half of the standings with a crucial away victory.
Around 16,000 Fans await Munich
On Sunday in Ulm (81-77), Bayern were forced into overtime unnecessarily, but managed to rest the trio of Lucic, Obst, and Voigtmann. All three have made the trip to the Spanish Mediterranean. Valencia, with a 7-1 record in the ACB, also sit atop the domestic league, level with Real Madrid. They even claimed the prestigious Supercup against Los Blancos.
On Sunday, the hosts led by coach Pedro Martinez cruised to a comfortable 98-72 (47-31) home win over Girona. In front of more than 13,000 spectators, no player logged more than 20 minutes; top scorers were Brancou Badio (19), Jean Montero, Spanish international Jaime Pradilla (13 each), and former Golden State forward Braxton Key (10).
Last round, Valencia edged third-placed Crvena Zvezda Belgrade 76-73 at home—their fourth win in the last six games. It was a strong defensive showing from the EuroLeague’s fifth-best offensive team (89.9 points per game), who play at a blistering pace and attempt the most three-pointers per game (32.5), trailing only Paris (and ahead of Bayern: 28.5 threes per game). Valencia ranks fifth in three-point percentage (37.2%), while Bayern still have room for improvement at 33 percent.
Star Signing Darius Thompson
Valencia’s top scorers are Senegalese guard Brancou Badio (12.1 ppg, formerly Frankfurt), who joined from Manresa last year, and fellow guard Omari Moore (12.2), ahead of high-profile summer signing Darius Thompson (11.8, 3.6 apg, previously Efes), Kameron Taylor (10.5, Malaga), and Montero (10.2).
“Alongside Paris, Valencia are the fastest team in the EuroLeague,” says FCBB playmaker Stefan Jovic, who spent the last two years with Valencia. “They take a lot of threes and crash the offensive boards hard. One-on-one play is also their strength. We need to find our rhythm right away and defend at the highest level.”
Bayern coach TJ Parker, still standing in for Gordon Herbert, adds: “Valencia are having an excellent season so far with a distinct style. Controlling their tempo has to be on our minds for all 40 minutes.”
After returning from Spain late Wednesday night, most Bayern players will head into a brief international break. Next up: Thursday next week at Partizan Belgrade.