The basketball team of FC Bayern Munich lost 87-74 to Khimki Moscow and thus suffered their second defeat in Europe's premier class. In front of 4,598 spectators in the Audi Dome, the German champions were neck-and-neck until shortly before the break before they suddenly lost the control and gave up a 20-0 run to the guests leaving them 56-37 behind. While the Bavarians were too hesitant and mistaken laden, Khimki scored easily and didn't let the Munich team (who also had to do without the injured Mathias Lessort) get closer than ten points in the final quarter.
Next Sunday (October 27th, 15:00 CET. / MagentaSport), the Bavarians will be challenged in a BBL rivalry game in Würzburg, before a huge game against the Spanish kings of Real Madrid in the EuroLeague next Wednesday (October 30th, 20:30 CET.).
Here you can buy tickets for the EuroLeague game against the royalty of Real Madrid.
Points per quarter Bayern - Khimki: 19-17, 18-27, 18-26, 19-17.
Facts & Figures - Two-point percentage: 48% (FCBB) // 57% (Khimki); Three-point percentage: 37% // 52%; Rebounds: 30 // 28; Assists: 12 // 17; Turnover: 19 // 18 - Injuries: TJ Bray (post-foot surgery), Josh Huestis (foot injury), Mathias Lessort (foot, ligaments).
FCBB stats: Greg Monroe (18 points/5 rebounds), Vladimir Lucic (12/5 rebounds), Maodo Lo (12), Alex King (9), Nihad Djedovic (9), Danilo Barthel (9), Paul Zipser (3), Diego Flaccadori (2), Petteri Koponen, DeMarcus Nelson, Leon Radosevic and Sasha Grant.
Quotes:
FCBB head coach, Dejan Radonjic: "Congratulations to Khimki Moscow. They deserved to win and were better than us today. The first two quarters were very balanced, but we had two very bad minutes before the break, and unfortunately we started badly into the second half as well. That's when they took control. Except for Shved, they shot very well from three. Our offense was not good in the second half. In the first half we still created good good opportunities which we also hit. But then we made too many mistakes and lost the ball too often. 19 turnovers is too much."
Rimas Kurtinaitis, head coach for Khimki: "We are very happy because we have made history: After six defeats against Munich, we have finally taken our first victory. I'm happy for my players."
Alex King: "Shortly before the break we gave up too many easy points and turnovers, so we went into half-time with negative experiences. In the second half they hit us very hard and we made too many easy mistakes on offense. At this point we didn't manage to come back, but we have to learn from that and tick it off as soon as possible and prepare for the tough game in Würzburg."
1st quarter
Maodo Lo, Nihad Djedovic, Vladimir Lucic, Danilo Barthel and Greg Monroe were the starting line-up for FCBB coach Dejan Radonjic. Devin Booker, now in the ranks of the Russians, scored against his former team-mates and started Khimki's 6-0 run which was stopped by Lo after 80 seconds by a three-point play. Monroe got off to a good start, scored six points in a row and forced Moscow to take a time-out after four minutes of play. The defense of the Bavarians became more aggressive and effective and the offense also started to hit its stride. Monroe powered his way to the basket and took the first lead for Munich with four minutes left in the quarter. After the first quarter the Munich team led 19-17.
2nd quarter
The Germans struggled to start the quarter and largely because they couldn't hit their free-throws. Khimki was immediately on the spot and took the lead at 22-19. Alex King ended the lull with a three and Maodo Lo added another one to tie things up again. Energizer bunny, King brought fire on the floor and provided both defensively and offensively for a much needed boost. Monroe continued to win in the paint and Bayern continued to hold a small lead. The opponents, each with two wins and a loss on the international stage, fought each other intensely and on a high level and thus the lead changed several times and with almost every shot. Neither team could bring more than two or three points between themselves and the other. In the last minute before the break, however, the Russian squad suddenly turned up the heat and caught the Munichers with an 8-0 run which brought them a lead of 44-37 at the half.
3rd quarter
Bayern struggled to find any rhythm in the second half and the gap grew to 5037 to force a time-out from Munich. Contrary to the expectations from the fans the game did not turn in favor of the Germans and Khimki constantly added to their lead. After almost four minutes in the third quarter, Bayern scored their first points of the half when Lo sank a three to to bring the score to 56-40. A three by Paul Zipser gave the fans hope, but to get back to it, it would have required a significantly better defense and this never happened. Despite showing to the world that they are able to overcome big deficits, Bayern was in for a long night down 15 heading into the final quarter.
4th quarter
Lucic went on the attack and drilled a three but the Russians responded in the counterattack with one of their own. The visitors' shooting percentage at this point of the game was almost 60% and their defense was just as potent. Lo showed his extraordinary form with a three-pointer with six minutes on the clock but the home team was still behind by 14 points. Barthel was successful twice in a row on the boards and suddenly the Munich team was only 10 points back - time-out Khimki. From this timeout, however, the visitors responded with a 7-0 run which proved too much to overcome. In view of the sealed defeat, 17-year-old Bayern talent Sasha Grant received his first minute of play in the EuroLeague and Diego Flaccadori also played.
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Photo-Credit: Stickel, Smokers, Eirich
