The basketball players of FC Bayern Munich won the 11th game in the EuroLeague against Khimki Moscow 72-65 in an extremely competitive and rather chaotic game and thus won their fifth game in the premier class. In front of 4,517 spectators, the visitors from Russia's capital city were only briefly in the lead during the first five minutes and once at the beginning of the second quarter but were kept in check by the FCBB for the remaining 27 minutes. Every Munich player scored and Nihad Djedovic was the top scorer with 14 points.
In the Bundesliga, the standings leader will play in Jena on Sunday (December 9 18:00 CET.), before the Lithuanian Final Four participant of 2018, Zalgiris Kaunas comes to Munich for the next EuroLeague duel next Thursday (December 14th, 20:30 CET.).
Points per quarter Bayern-Khimki: 16-16, 15-12, 23-22, 18-15.
FCBB Stats: Nihad Djedovic (14 points), Vladimir Lucic (13), Derrick Williams (10), Stefan Jovic (9/9 assists), Maodo Lo (9), Leon Radosevic (6), Danilo Barthel (49), Nemanja Dangubic (3), Petteri Koponen (2), Devin Booker (2), Braydon Hobbs (dnp) and Alex King (dnp).
Quotes:
Dejan Radonjic, FCBB head coach: "Congratulations to my players. As predicted, it was a tight and hard game. Khimki defended very well in the first half and we had foul problems. The most important thing for me was how we played in the last two minutes - especially on defense. Tomorrow we'll have more research to see how Devin is doing. I hope it's nothing serious. “
Nihad Djedovic: "It was a tough game for us. So we are all the happier that we were able to win this important victory. It's always good to pick up rhythm with success after a seven-day break. And anyway, it's important to win such games at home. I hope we can build on that."
1st quarter
FCBB coach Dejan Radonjic started the game with the starting five Maodo Lo, Nihad Djedovic, Vladimir Lucic, Danilo Barthel and Devin Booker. Playmaker Maodo Lo scored the first basket of the EuroLeague evening after a steal thanks to his great speed. The Bavarians defended properly and secured themselves defensive rebounds while most of their points were scored in the paint. Leon Radosevic's jump shot took a 14-8 lead was the first Munich goal from outside the circle. The Russians stayed in the game with two three-pointers and they stayed on the heels of the Reds at 16-14. After a Bayern turnover, Khimki tied the game at the end of the quarter.
2nd quarter
Derrick Williams had a great play and scored with a two-handed slam to retake the lead. Stefan Jovic caused the Audi Dome to murmur collectively as he fooled his opponent on a fastbreak by circling the ball around the hip and scoring a nice layup. With a three-pointer from Maodo Lo and the first bucket by Petteri Koponen, the German champions managed to take off a little with a score of 29-23. Both teams kicked it into gear on defense but Khimki got hot at the end of the half and were down only three before the break.
3rd quarter
The game was very physical and nether team could score with any regularity but Bayern managed to take and hold a slim lead despite foul trouble. Suddenly the Munich team had their sights set on the Russian basket - Stefan Jovic and Derrick Williams each drilled a three and Derrick Williams gave the Bavarians their first two-digit lead at 43-32. Khimki wasn't finished though and five straight points forced a Bayern time-out. Stefan Jovic, as is often the case, took the initiative and danced into the Russian defense to keep a lead at 49-44.
4th quarter
With a three, Moscow climbed to just a point out of the lead but a Maodo Lo basketball and Djedovic hit a pair of shots to stretch the Munich lead to 59-53. The opponents fought doggedly for every inch of the floor, increasing the tension and turnover rate but Derrick Williams showed up on defense and snatched two balls in a row from the Russians. Vladimir Lucic used the turnvoer to slam home a dunk and take a 62-57 lead for the Bavarians with four minutes to play. Now the Munich team defended the ball fantastically and Lucic sank another shot again, this time from beyond the arc. But the guests stayed in the game when Stefan Markovic brought them up to 66:63 with two threes in a row. Derrick Williams proved to have strong nerves and after a foul on him made both free throws for a 68-63 lead (50 seconds left). The desperate last shots for the Moscow team missed the target and the Munich team was on the spot with rebounding. Nihad Djedovic hit his free-throws at the end of the game to seal another big win for the Bayern squad.
Upcoming games:
So, 9.12., 18:00: Jena - FCBB (BBL)
Fri, 14.12., 20:30: FCBB - Zalgiris Kaunas (EuroLeague)
Sun., 16.12., 15:00: FCBB - Alba Berlin (BBL)
Wed., 19.12., 20_45: Armani Milan - FCBB (EuroLeague)
Fri, 21.12., 20:00: FCBB - Real Madrid (EuroLeague)
Sun, 23.12., 18:00: FCBB - Alba Berlin (BBL Cup)
Wed., 26.12., 18:00: FCBB - Würzburg (BBL)
Fri, 28.12., 20:30: FCBB - Buducnost Podgorica (EuroLeague)
Sun, 30.12., 20:30: Bamberg - FCBB (BBL)
(photo-Credit: Stickel & Rauchensteiner)