The FC Bayern München basketball players have come out of the international break with an emotional victory.
On Wednesday, the leader of the Basketball-Bundesliga won 86-75 (28-46) against the Hamburg Towers. National player Paul Zipser celebrated his return after a long rehabilitation phase and was back on the court for the first time since his brain operation in June 2021.
Zipser was substituted for the last 15 seconds of the third quarter to applause but ultimately did not play longer. “It’s a blessing to see him back on the pitch,” Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri told “Magenta Sport” ahead of the game.
In the first half, Munich had still been dominated by the visitors. Hamburg’s Caleb Homesley scored 25 points there, including 16 in the last three minutes before the break. Thus the Towers had closed the gap to 46:28. At the beginning of the second quarter, the Munich team had a moment of shock: Nick Weiler-Babb fell to the floor after a dunk attempt, was unconscious and had to be transported off the floor on a stretcher.
Thanks to an 11-0 start to the second half, the Munich team found its rhythm and shook off the scare. The hosts shortened the gap to 58:60 before the final period and turned the game around with an 11:0 run in the fourth. Especially the big guard around Munich’s top scorer Augustine Rubit (16 points) turned up the heat. In the end, the league leaders had won the second half 58:29.
