Bayern loses 68-64 at home to Real Madrid

Sent off with applause: The Bayern basketball players missed their fifth win of the season in the EuroLeague home game agains favorites Real Madrid and lost 68-64, The Munich audience rightly said goodbye to their team with great applause

With the energy of the 6,500 in the sold-out Audi Dome, the underdogs, who were weakened by injuries, put in a strong performance and were on a par with the title contenders. Their deep squad ultimately benefited from size advantages in rebounding and especially from the presence of their huge center Tavares (14 points). For Bayern, Hunter (14) and Walden (11) were the top scorers,

57-56 ahead, then the shots did not fall

The hosts - still without Lucic and Rubit - played well on offense, scored from distance and were 34-27 (16th) ahead early on. Real immediately showed its class however and took a 36-34 lead of their own. After the break, FCBB remained without points for almost four minutes (47-34/24th), but fought its way back to take the lead - 57-56 (33rd). After that high point, however, open shots did not fall for minutes and the upset was just barely missed.

Thursday vs Valencia

The FCBB can use the support of the fans twice more in their marathon of games this week as Valencia will be visiting the Audi Dome on Thursday for the 14th EuroLeague gameday and then Braunschweig comes to visit in the BBL on Saturday (both at 20:30).

Tickets for Valencia

Score per quarter Bayern - Real: 22-21, 17-21, 11-12, 14-14.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 34% (FCBB) // 45% (Madrid); Three-point shooting: 29% // 32%; Free-throw shooting: 81% // 76%; Rebounds: 33 // 43; Assists: 12 // 16; Turnovers:   10 // 14

Quotes:

Andrea Trinchieri: "Congratulations to Real. I told my players beforehand that today we were playing against one of the best teams ever, if not the best. We played a great game, what else can you say about it. We wanted to play with great energy and intensity and play super hard - and I think the only reason we didn't win the game was because we left the last five, six open threes at the rim. You can't blame your players for that, that's part of the game. I'm proud of the effort of my players, it was perfect.

We tried to go beyond our limits, we lacked size and energy. But I think you didn't see that on the court. We also fought for the rebounds, but the difference is not the eight rebounds less, but the shots we missed. We grabbed one more offensive rebound than Real and had a great game in terms of intensity and sacrifice. But in 46 hours we have another game, there are six in twelve days. The schedule is insane. We just hope we can regenerate.

(...) I think that training for the offense could help us better adjust to a game without the missing players. But the schedule also has its influence. We are missing two players who produce on offense. But I'm not worried when I see how many open shots we're taking. Right now they're not falling, but the ball will go in. We just have to stay calm. (...) For three quarters we were able to make the game that we moved their defense. Then they started switching and they were very aggressive on defense. For sure we had less intensity in the last five minutes. But that's also normal in a game against Real. Two weeks ago we were at Fenerbahce - that was not a balanced game. Today it was, and that's something."              

Othello Hunter: "I'm only interested in winning. We played hard. I think we need to improve little things and then we'll get back to winning ways. I've been working on the three-pointers my whole life, but I've never taken them. In the summer, I do what everyone else does, I practice it. In the end, there was one little detail missing. I can't say exactly what it was, maybe the communication wasn't quite right. Every game is a must-win for us - we want to win everything. To do that, we have to play well together."

Isaac Bonga: "What was missing in the end is hard to say against a team like Real Madrid. But I think we did well. In games like that, you just have to play for 40 minutes without making any mistakes if possible. We actually did that quite well, although we had a phase at the end where we couldn't score. When you go into run-and-gun against a team like that, you're not going to look good. You have to be extremely focused in crunch time to win against a team like that. We earned that chance to win - in the end, we were just missing a little something. This learning process will help us. Mentally, this loss will help us."

Game recap:

Coach Trinchieri demanded "energy, intensity and speed" from his team before the game to counter the size adv

Bayern is up to the task

Bayern was now brimming with confidence, and anyone who had thought that the Munich team would have no chance was in for a surprise. Munich extended its lead, mainly because the threes were falling and when Hunter sank his third from beyond the arc, Madrid called a timeout (32-25/14th). Hunter made an incredible play to assist Tavares who slammed the ball home with a dunk and Sergio Llull led his team back with a 9-2 run that tied the game 34-34 (17th). Corey Walden showed a clear improvement both offensively and defensively (36-36/18th and Bayern continued to create good shots but the ball did not want to go into the basket. Madrid took advantage and started to pull away (42-36/19th). After the second quarter the FCBB was within striking distance - 42-39.

antage of Real and started with Nick Weiler-Babb, Cassius Wiston, Niels Giffey, Othello Hunter and Elias Harris against the Royal club. Hunter's three-pointer to make it 3-0 delighted the fans in the pumped-up Audi Dome. However, the illustrious guests then immediately flashed their quality with a 9-0 run. Another three-pointer by Hunter stopped the Spaniards (5th minute of play) but then Madrid's Tavares used his height time and again to score at the rim. FCBB fired up its offensive engine as A three-pointer by Weiler-Babb and one by Walden meant a 15-13 lead (7th). For the Madrilenians, Sergio Rodriguez came off the bench, but Munich held its own and led 22:21 after the first quarter.

Hunter shines from three-point line

The home team struggled badly at this point in the game and on both ends of the court. The offense faltered and could not score and in addition, the Trinchieri squad had five team fouls after less than three minutes of play in the half. Bayern didn't score until three and a half minutes into the quarter when Weiler-Babb hit a three-pointer to make it 47-42 (24th). Hunter had tasted blood and a few moments later converted his fourth (!) Three-pointer (49-45/24th). The FCBB regained confidence through an improved defense and attached on offense, however, the basketball still could not find the net. Bonga drew the foul and sank both free throws, and Walden hit a three-pointer (51-50/29th). After the third quarter, the Munich team was still close - 54-50.

The Bavarians repeatedly found Weiler-Babb in a promising position, but he missed three attempts in a row. The Iberian warhorse Sergio Llull, on the other hand, used his first shot in crunch time to drill a three-pointer to make it 68-64 (86 seconds left). With 57 seconds on the clock, Obst hits the three-pointer to make it 66-61. Bayern still believed that they could win and that they needed to stay calm and not foul, Madrid missed their next attempt and Bonga was fouled since the referees decided on an "unsportsmanlike" foul, he converted both free throws (66-63/ still 27 seconds and ball possession). Madrid conceded a technical foul and Obst sunk the free throw (66-64/still 27 seconds). Obst got the ball and a good attempt at three but it missed its mark. Bayern then fouled quickly and Madrid's Musa hit both free throws (68-64/still 13 seconds left). Giffey then missed his own three-pointer, ending the game with a tough and tight loss for Bayern.