By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
FC Bayern Munich turned last week’s victory into a streak after defeating Valencia Basket at home 90-79 in Round 8 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to improve to a 6-2 record.
Vladimir Lucic joined the competition’s 1,000-point club and finished the game with a huge performance that completely outran the Spanish team. The Serbian forward had 22 points, 7 rebounds and the final say in Bayern’s victory in crunch time. He also surpassed his personal-best PIR with 35.
The German side’s momentum from the midpoint of the third quarter onwards helped them stay in charge for the remainder of the game, despite some sparks by Valencia, that managed to tie the score at 74 points with less than five minutes to go. Paul Zipser soon restored Bayern’s lead, exiting the game with 20 points and four boards. Young gun Zan Sisko also played a key part in the final victory, scoring all of his six points in the final period.
“My players found a way to win this game without shining. It was a complicated game. We made 10 offensive fouls. It was a nervous game. The good thing is in the second half we found a way to play better defense and use our personnel on offense. And my players played as a team and somebody stepped up and we won the game. These guys are trying every day to go over their limits. It’s just the beginning, but more than proud I am really happy for my players because I know how much I am demanding. This is the only way to compete at this level. Try to be better every day, try to get yourself out of the comfort zone. So this win goes to them“, were Andrea Trinchieri’s comments after the game.
JaJuan Johnson flirted with double-double figures with 17 points and 8 boards, while Malcolm Thomas tapped 11 points prior to fouling out with 4 minutes remaining in the game.
Klemen Prepelic tried to save the day for the Spanish team with 18 points, five assists and two steals, though Lucic’s compelling performance forced the visiting side to a 4-3 record.
Bojan Dubljevic posted 12 points and six boards and Nikola Kalinic had 10 points for Jaume Ponsarnau’s team.
Photo: EuroLeague