The FC Bayern basketball team suffered another setback in the race for the playoffs in the EuroLeague. After leading for most of the game, Munich ultimately lost dramatically to Anadolu Efes.
From the outset, coach Svetislav Pesic’s team tried to dictate the game with their defense—and initially with success! Efes scored only six points in the first six minutes, but also committed three turnovers in the same period. Meanwhile, Munich’s Wenyen Gabriel (6, 3/5) punished the mismatch under the basket twice and increased the lead to 12-4. However, neither side was able to really pick up the pace at first.
That changed at the start of the second quarter with the substitution of David McCormack (9 PTS, 2 REB), who led a 10-0 run with six points. Bayern also benefited in this phase from the fact that the visitors remained largely cold from distance. After Hollatz-Leger, Munich went into the break with a clear 39-26 lead.
Efes turns it on in the second half
After the break, it didn’t take long for Andi Obst (13, 4/10) to finally hit his first three-pointer and increase the lead to +16. It was to remain Bayern’s biggest lead of the evening. However, Efes, led by former Munich player Nick Weiler-Babb (7 PTS, 4 AST), was not fazed by this and shifted the momentum in its favor. This was also thanks to the strong Jordan Loyd (20 PTS, 5/8), who had now overcome his scoring slump from the first half. With his third three-pointer, he had already reduced the deficit to -5 by the middle of the quarter. The fact that Bayern’s lead did not melt away more significantly at this stage was down to Bayern’s top scorer Xavier Rathan-Mayes (15, 4/8), who kept the opponents at bay with several well-timed baskets.
The final quarter was a back-and-forth affair. The visitors from Turkey repeatedly came close to reducing the deficit to within one possession. A three-pointer by Voigtmann provided some much-needed relief. However, five quick points by Sehmus Hazer broke the spell (74:74).
Rathan-Mayes looks unhappy in the final sequence
The final sequence was dramatic once again: on the one hand, Rathan-Mayes lost the ball and missed the chance to seal the win. In the counterattack – with the FCBB leading by two points – the Munich player was unable to hold off his opponent Loyd. The Polish international drew the defense to him and then found Cole Swider, who was standing free in the corner and converted the open shot to seal the victory. This defeat is doubly painful for Bayern because it makes their participation in the EuroLeague play-ins even more unlikely. AS Monaco had previously won dramatically against Piraeus and increased their lead.
