By Stefan Djordjevic / sdjordjevic@eurohoops.net
After two decades, Pau Gasol has stepped on the court once again as a Barcelona player but the victory went to the opposing Bayern Munich which grabbed an 82-72 road win to close the EuroLeague regular season for both teams.
Jalen Reynolds was the pushing force behind the German team’s win with game-high 26 points on 13-17 shooting while Wade Baldwin scored 18 and Vladimir Lucic 14 points.
As usual, Bayern’s big man stayed humble after the game. “I only try to go out there every night and give my best. This is obviously a team win, and in the humblest way, we have to keep going, stand and stay locked and stay focused. I just try to stay humble, like I said. I’m a team player, I try to do my best and try to round out the team.”
Gasol entered the game as a starter, scoring the first points for Barcelona with his recognizable long two-pointer. He finished with nine points and four rebounds in 13 minutes. Nikola Mirotic wasn’t on the roster while Leandro Bolmaro and Leo Westermann scored 12 points each.
This win was important for Bayern in order to rise up on the standings and they improved to a 21-13 record which will put them at the fifth spot and pit against the fourth-placed Olimpia Milano (21-13) which got the better of Anadolu Efes.
Coach Andrea Trinchieri noted that motivation was a key factor for the outcome and that Bayern is far from done this season.
“I believe that both teams had different motivations. We wanted to reach the best ranking possible, and we played hard. We really wanted to win. At the end, with the help of solid defense good plays and our offense moving the ball well, I believe we deserved to win the game. The job ain’t over yet,” he said.
Barcelona ends the season as the top team with 24-10 and will play against Zenit Saint Petersburg or Valencia. Their opponent will be decided with the clash between Zenit and Panathinaikos OPAP on Monday (April 12).