FC Bayern Munich suffered another away defeat on matchday 19 of the EuroLeague. Bayern lost 76:88 at Real Madrid and thus also lost what could have been an important direct comparison.
In the opening game at the SAP Arena, Bayern had beaten the Whites 97:89, but in the Spanish capital, the result was more one-sided in favor of Real. The top scorers for the Blancos were Dzanan Musa (15 points), Mario Hezonja (14) and Facundo Campazzo (13, 5 assists), while Edy Tavares (8, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) dominated in the paint. The most industrious scorers for Bayern were Carsen Edwards (18, 7/17) and Shabazz Napier (17, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), and Edwards in particular (2/11 3pt) typified the visitors’ weakness from outside (8/31).
As in Frankfurt, Bayern were without Nick Weiler-Babb, with Napier starting in his place. Munich did not manage much apart from two buckets from downtown by Niels Giffey, whereas Real repeatedly looked to Tavares. The crowd started to get loud just under three minutes before the end of the period when Sergio Llull was subbed on. It was the Spaniard’s 426th game in the EuroLeague – a new record. The 37-year-old duly drained a three right away.
The visitors did not manage to do so, and instead the home side quickly led by double digits (31:18). After a timeout, Munich steadied itself a little; without Tavares, scoring was at least a little easier. Another problem was losing possession, with Madrid snapping up the ball ten times by half-time. Real capitalized on some of them to produce a 14:0 run. Hezonja also caught fire during this spell, and it seemed as if the game was slipping out of Bayern’s hands. The half ended with the score at 47:30.
Bayern’s comeback comes too late
In the third period, Bayern recovered somewhat, but it still seemed too bumpy in offense to start a run. Napier, who had been weak before, had a few good moments, as did Edwards when he got to the basket. However, almost nothing went in from outside, so Real continued to lead 62:50 despite a very mediocre quarter.
Bayern then missed several chances to reduce the deficit to single digits, but an and-1 by Napier after four minutes did just that. However, the Royal Family always had an answer, while Munich’s threes simply would not drop. Although Napier scored, Giffey missed with 2:30 minutes left on the clock to cut the deficit to four points with the team in a free position. Instead, it was Hezonja who made it 80:71 with a drive. It was bitter from Munich’s point of view that a late run by Madrid also cost Bayern the direct comparison.
The defeat means that Bayern (11-8) are now ranked eighth in the EuroLeague and are therefore no longer in a direct playoff spot for the first time in months. Next Friday, they face a tough away game against Olympiakos Piräus. In between, Bayern have to play against Alba Berlin in the BBL on Sunday.
