That's a huge leap forward compared to last week: Bayern's basketball players have a double week in the EuroLeague ahead of them, with games in Lyon (Wednesday) and Monaco (Friday), before they are expected in Cologne on Sunday by 18.000 fans for the BBL duel with Telekom Baskets Bonn. Things continue on Tuesday with a home game at SAP Garden against league leaders Hapoel Tel Aviv. “That's another four games in seven days, but that's just the way it is,” said coach Gordon Herbert before departure. “We're taking it one game at a time.”
The next game is on Wednesday at Asvel Villeurbanne in Lyon (8 p.m.), which is behind Munich (5:10) with three wins after 15 match days. After six defeats, five of them away, Bayern will be keeping an eye on the standings for the next few weeks. However, Herbert has already promised a response to the bitter 88:89 defeat in Dubai with the win in Oldenburg (87:79). “I liked the effort there, especially after the long, long trip and the very tough defeat in Dubai,” the Canadian explained on Tuesday.
Veteran Nando de Colo in form
He continued: "We still have a lot of games ahead of us in the EuroLeague, but we need to start winning again. Lyon is our next game, and unlike others, I'm not going to talk about how important it is. It's no more important than any other game; it's just the next game. And we're preparing for the next game so that we can win it. To do that, we need to take better care of the ball on offense and rebound better on defense."
Asvel coach Pierric Poupet's team has a balanced record of three wins and three losses in its own arena. In the domestic Pro A league, they are in second place (8-2) behind Monaco (9-2) and ahead of EuroLeague rivals Paris (8-3) after an unexpected 85-87 defeat against Cholet at the weekend.
The most important man for the Black and Whites is still Nando de Colo: The 38-year-old is currently averaging 14.7 points and 4.7 assists, with the 2016 EuroLeague MVP continuing his heyday. Most recently, however, his 16 points and seven assists were not enough to prevent an 84:92 away defeat at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In addition to the French international, Zac Seljaas (who came from Würzburg in the summer) with 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds and guard Glynn Watson (2023/2024 in Bonn, 13.6 ppg, 2.9 apg), both well known from the BBL, are also impressing. There will be a reunion for FCBB with Mehdy Ngouama: The French guard completed preseason training with Bayern as a guest player before signing with Lyon at the start of the season.