After the bitter disappointment against bottom team ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, the basketball players from Bayern Munich have returned to the EuroLeague thanks to their nerves.
Led by former NBA star Serge Ibaka, the cup winner Baskonia beat Vitoria-Gasteiz 112:109 (94:94, 56:52) after overtime and reduced the gap to the Spaniards in the race for a playoff place.
FC Bayern, who stumbled against Lyon in front of their home crowd the previous week (64:76), took their tenth win in the 24th game of the season. Baskonia has a 12:12 record and there are still ten games left in the main round of the European premier class. As of this season, tenth place is enough to advance to the knockout phase and advance to the so-called play-in showdown.
Baskonia equalized with a three-pointer three seconds before the end of the fourth quarter and ensured overtime. In the additional five minutes for Munich, which had to make do without world champions Isaac Bonga, Devin Booker and Niklas Wimberg, Carsen Edwards scored two free throws to make it the final score. Top scorer Ibaka had 21 points and seven rebounds.
When reuniting with his former captain Luke Sikma, the second German participant Alba Berlin suffered a clear 87:101 (48:45) defeat in Greece at Olympiacos Piraeus. Without Sikma’s successor and world champion Johannes Thiemann (bruised lumbar spine) in the squad, nothing could be achieved.
For Alba, who lost to the Würzburg Baskets in the Bundesliga on Sunday (75:76), with five wins and now 19 defeats, getting into the playoffs is unrealistic – and will soon no longer be mathematically possible.