By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After four straight victories at home, Bayern Munich lost to Monaco in the previous round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague at home. Pablo Lasо’s side immediately found a way back to winning ways, taking down one of the toughest teams this season in a dramatic finish.
The German side eventually pulled out an 85-84 win, ending the first part of the season with an 8-9 score, while Valencia fell to 9-8, being seriously shorthanded with Sami Ojeleye, Victor Claver, and Jared Harper out of the team. Xabi Lopez-Arostegui had the chance to miraculously win the game for the guests, but his half-court shot at the buzzer hit the rim.
In the end, Leandro Bolmaro led the winning side with 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds for a PIR of 19. Devin Booker also scored 13 points, while captain Vladimir Lucic and Andreas Obst added 12 points each.
“Tough game, but stayed in the match for 40 minutes, played together, shared the ball, and matched the physicality that they play with. It was a good effort, and we deserved the win,” Bolmaro said after the match.
Brankovic the X-factor
Danko Brankovic also had a great match in the absence of Serge Ibaka, scoring 11 points with eight rebounds and the second-highest PIR in the team with 16. Carsen Edwards also finished in double digits, scoring 10 points for Laso’s squad, in which only Elias Harris didn’t put his name on the scoring sheet.
“Very important win to keep our home advantage and try to win as many home games as possible. I have to give the team a lot of credit; playing without Serge Ibaka wasn’t easy. We missed him more than in any other game probably because they are so strong inside. We needed someone to protect us inside, and Danko Brankovic did a great job,” Laso praised the talented Croatian player.
Two players stood out in Valencia, with Brandon Davies scoring 21 points, and Chris Jones adding 19 with seven assists. It’s also worth mentioning that newly signed Justin Anderson debuted with eight points in less than 20 minutes.
The match was tightly contested from start to finish. Teams constantly exchanged the lead, with nobody managing to pull away. After 30 minutes, the score was 60-62. In the final period, it looked like Valencia might break the resistance of the hosts and take command, but Bayern made a crucial 8-0 run to turn the tables.
Still, the Spanish side refused to go down, even after being four points behind with four seconds on the clock. Kassius Robertson hit a triple with a second left, and then Lopez-Arostegui attempted a Hail Mary shot at the buzzer, but the ball just hit the rim.
At the start of 2024, in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Bayern will visit Virtus in Bologna, while Valencia will host Anadolu Efes, with both teams playing on January 3rd.