The people of Munich are fighting against the main round winners FC Barcelona for entry into the Final Four tournament. After the elimination of Alba Berlin, Bayern are the last German representative in the top European club competition. However, the Bavarian basketball Bundesliga team started the Euroleague playoffs on Tuesday with a defeat.
Munich starts strong, Barcelona takes the lead
Andrea Trinchieri’s team got off to a strong start and was able to play a nine-point lead through a large number of three-pointers hit in the middle of the quarter. But from the eighth minute, the favorite from Barcelona didn’t allow much and posed problems for Munich. The lead melted to two points (22:20) at the end of the first quarter.
Due to the tougher defense, Munich could no longer find good shots and there were some unnecessary ball losses. Even on the defensive, the guests could not prevent Barca’s good finishes. After only eleven points, Bayern went into the dressing room 33:43 behind.
Barcelona won’t give up home advantage
Munich showed themselves better again in the third quarter and was back in the game with a 10-0 run, but Barcelona dominated the final phase of the third round and once again took a double-digit lead. Before the last quarter, Munich was 51:63 behind.
Thanks to Vladimir Lucic (top scorer with 20 points), the guests had closed the gap to 64:69 in the middle of the shooting quarter, then the individual quality of the Catalans prevailed. The final score: 67:77 (33:43).