The basketball team of FC Bayern Munich lost 77-70 to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the "Game of the week" in the EuroLeage and thus suffered a setback in the fight for the playoffs. For the time being, the FCBB is in eleventh place in the densely packed play-off race with a 12-13 record and are on par with Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos Athens.
In front of 6,112 spectators in the Audi Dome, the German champions found their rhythm only sporadically but fought through a bad shooting night with a solid defense to stay in the game until the last few minutes. However, 14 offensive rebounds and ten steals by the Israeli club were ultimately too great a burden. Derrick Williams was the top scorer with 17 points.
The Bavarians will now compete against the surprise team of the BBL in Vechta on Sunday (March 10th, 15:00), before the next chance for the 13th win in the EuroLeague in Kaunas (Thursday, March 14th, 19:00).
Points per quarter Bayern - Tel Aviv: 17-18, 14-15, 16-25, 23-19.
FCBB stats: Derrick Williams (17 Points/7 Rebounds), Danilo Barthel (16/6 Reb), Stefan Jovic (9/5 Assists), Nemanja Dangubic (9), Maodo Lo (8), Leon Radosevic (4), Braydon Hobbs (3), Vladimir Lucic (2), Nihad Djedovic (2), Alex King, Petteri Koponen and Robin Amaize (dnp).
Quotes:
FCBB head coach, Dejan Radonjic: "Congratulations to Maccabi. It was a difficult game. Maccabi played for 40 minutes with a lot of energy. In the first half we had some bad decisions on offense but our defense worked. In the second half we were able to play the game tight at the end, but in the end it wasn't enough because of some wrong decisions."
Tel Aviv head coach, Ioannis Sfairopoulos: "It is an important victory for us because the Bavarians play very well at home and we both have the goal of making the playoffs. We controlled the game with good defense and made the Bavarians think. I think the defense was the key to victory. We were the better team."
Derrick Williams: "In the end it was possible to win being only four points behind, but then they got a second chance again. Maccabi had a good defensive game plan today and hit some important shots. They had a bit more energy than us and we have to solve our problems with the offensive rebound. But there are still five games left, it's still going for us."
1st quarter
FCBB coach Radonjic started with the top five of Stefan Jovic, Nihad Djedovic, Vladimir Lucic, Danilo Barthel and Leon Radosevic. The importance of having point guard Stefan Jovic on the floor became clear after about 40 seconds, when he sunk a three for the first Bayern lead after 24 seconds of play. Derrick Williams delivered fresh energy from the bench with usual reliability but the shooting for Munich left a lot to be desired. A few bad turnovers did the rest and Tel Aviv was already was up 14-9 after seven minutes of play. The short reflection of a time-out breathed new life into the Bavarians at least for a short time, which manifested itself in a quick 7-0 run that led to a 16-14 lead. After the first quarter Bayern was behind by one with a score of 18-17.
2nd quarter
The Bavarians patiently played out very promising attempts but to the horror of the fans the ball simply did not find its way into the basket. Even Petteri Koponen, the king of threes struggled to hit his shots. It felt like an eternity for the first Bayrern bucket and finally after four minutes Dangubic slammed home a dunk. Suddenly the Munichers were back in the game, Maodo Lo hit a three and forced a time-out by Maccabi. Michael Roll, three-point guru for the guests, hit the first deep shot of the game for the visitors and forced a time-out from the home club. Bayern struggled to find a good flow but they fought and struggled on both sides of the floor. They scratched and clawed their way to staying in the game and at the break the score was 30-28 with Maccabi holding a small lead.
3rd quarter
Scottie Wilbekin took command for the Israelis with six points in a row, and Bayern continued to miss their shots. Shortly thereafter, the Germany fell double-digits behind for the first time and FCBB coach Radonjic asked for a time-out while beind 41-31. The tactical route changed, Stefan Jovic attacked the basket with his experience and scored four points in a row and Derrick Williams pulled the fans from their seats with a one-handed AlleyOop Dunk, but the defense didn't match the boosted offense and they remained behind by ten. Bayern desperately worked and tried everything to shorten the deficit but they couldn't find their rhythm against Tel Aviv's chaotic defense. After the third quarter, the guests were ahead by 11 - 58-47.
4th quarter
The fans in the Audi Dome were completely over the moon after 72 seconds of the final quarter, because the Bavarians had scored four quick points to bring the score to 58-51. Braydon Hobbs' came to the floor and delivered a huge three to bring the home team within six points. Suddenly the players in the red jerseys seemed to be changed, Nemanja Dangubic drilled a three and again shortened the Israeli lead. Point by point the Bavarians crawled back to near neck and neck with the stingy visitors. Williams contributed four free throws in this important phase and with four minutes to play Maccabi was up by two at 65-64. However, Maccabi reacted in the style of a top team and went on a merciless 6-0 run forcing a ime-out for Munich. Scottie Wilbekin - the Bayern Killer - effectively ended the game with a huge three and the chance for the first ever German club in the EuroLeague playoffs was badly hurt.
(Photo credit: Stickel, Rauchensteiner, Eirich, Albertini)