By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
With both teams starving for a win after consecutive losses in the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, FC Bayern Munich managed to come up on top 75-73 against Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 5.
Both teams scored almost exclusively from the free-throw line in the last quarter with the total number rising to 51 at the end of the game. However, it was DeShaun Thomas who took charge in the last minute and with back-to-back efforts gave Bayern a three-point lead (74-71).
Thomas had 15 points and 4 rebounds for the German side, while Vladimir Lucic led the way on his first game of the season with 17 points, along with 4 rebounds. Darrun Hilliard followed with 14 points and Corey Walden posted 11.
“It was a very tough period, because everyone had a different role than it was supposed to be when we built the team, and now, in the first half, having Lucic back was like a shock. Whenever you have a player coming back the team slows down a little bit, but the good thing is that we were able, in 20 minutes, to find a way, to find a new balance”, commented Andrea Trinchieri after the game.
On the other end of the court, Lukas Lekavicius tapped 17 points for short-staffed Zalgiris, Josh Nebo had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Niels Giffey and Mantas Kalnietis both posted 11 points.
Zalgiris stayed in charge in the first half, leading 39-27 by halftime, though Bayern fought back and managed to outscore the hosts in the third period, cutting down the deficit to 55-52.
Zalgiris looks to finally register a win in the upcoming double-game week, as they face Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Anadolu Efes on the road, while Bayern will look to keep up their momentum against AX Armani Exchange Milan and ALBA Berlin.
Photo: EuroLeague