They are traveling with a little more luggage than usual when they set off on Tuesday afternoon: For the second time in the young season, Bayern Basketball are heading to Istanbul, although this trip will last a little longer than their recent visit to Fenerbahçe. In the Turkish basketball capital, head coach Anton Gavel and his team will play the next EuroLeague double-week, this time on the European side of the city, taking on Efes (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.) and Beşiktaş (Friday, 7 p.m.) before traveling straight on to Hamburg on Saturday for an important clash with the Towers—the German Cup Round of 16 tie on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Three games in five days
Three difficult away games in just five days—it is fortunate, then, that Gavel currently has his entire roster available. Given the demanding schedule and the importance of Sunday’s cup game—the Final Four will once again be held at SAP Garden on February 20 and 21, with tickets already on sale—squad management will be crucial.
“It is definitely a very important week for us, with two games in Istanbul that will be difficult, followed by a do-or-die game in Hamburg,” Gavel said.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul have the same record as Bayern (1–3), although they, too, have faced a challenging opening schedule. Their victory over Real Madrid at home (94–84) provided a notable highlight.
“Efes are a team that are certainly not yet playing at the level of their enormous potential. But they have also lost Mike James, they will continue to improve, and regardless of that, we have to earn our own wins in the EuroLeague,” Gavel said. “We will see how the week develops, but we will also try to have the best possible team on the court on Sunday.”
Payne steps in for James
Two-time EuroLeague champions Efes lost their star player Mike James in a 77–72 defeat to Crvena zvezda Belgrade on the third matchday. James is the EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer, averaging 16.3 points per game.
Following his Achilles tendon injury, Cameron Payne—who played for Partizan last season—was brought in as a replacement. He scored 12 points in last week’s 89–66 loss to defending champions Olympiacos and now completes a high-profile backcourt alongside Jordan Loyd (10.1 points per game, 50 percent from three-point range), PJ Dozier (9.0) and former Monaco player Matthew Strazel (11.5).
Šarić returns from the NBA
Alongside James, Efes’ major summer signing was the return of Croatian power forward Dario Šarić, 32, after a decade in the NBA and more than 500 games at the highest level. He averaged 10.3 points per game during that spell.
With Šarić on board, Efes are aiming to return to the EuroLeague playoffs. They can also look forward to the potential comeback of center Georgios Papagiannis, who suffered a serious injury a year ago. The team continues to be coached by former Bayern head coach Pablo Laso.
“The atmosphere there is always good, and the team will be ready to compete following Mike James’ injury. We wish him all the best,” said FCBB and Germany international Justus Hollatz. He moved from Efes to Munich almost two years ago.
“They brought in Payne, and other guys will now have to step up and improve. They are a very dangerous team with a great deal of individual quality. We have to be ready from the opening tip, play physically and avoid giving up any easy opportunities over the full 40 minutes if we want to win the game.”
Both games will be played at the 10,000-capacity Basketbol Gelişim Merkezi, meaning Bayern will at least not have to change venues before facing Beşiktaş on Friday. As always, the EuroLeague games will be broadcast on MagentaSport.