By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The final score was 98-93 for Bayern but doesn’t tell the whole story for Maccabi.
Until the start of the fourth quarter, the Israelis had the lead, but Bayern’s quality shined in the end and got them a 10-5 record, good enough for a three-way tie in the second spot with Monaco and Fenerbahce.
Carsen Edwards with 25 points and Andreas Obst with 23 on seven made threes were the top scorers, however, Shabazz Napier with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists played also a crucial role in the win changing the momentum in the third period.
“It was a hard-fought game and we needed to do a little more in the second half”, admitted Napier after the final buzzer.
“The sign of a good team is to find a way to win when you don’t play well”, added coach Gordon Herbert, and that sums it up for Bayern.
Maccabi dropped to 4-11 despite a huge 25-point effort by Jalen Hoard, Levi Randolph’s 20 points, and Wenyen Gabriel’s 16 points and eight rebounds.
Tamir Blatt also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, however, the guests didn’t close the night correctly.
Bayern protected the home court
Playing on the road, Maccabi didn’t hesitate to run for an early 10-point lead (25-15). Bayern was trailing by eight, letting 30 points in the first quarter (30-22), and even by 14 points (47-33) in the second after a three by Tamir Blatt.
Still, the hosts trimmed the lead to seven at halftime (50-43) with Carsen Edwards scoring 13 points.
Maccabi wasn’t rattled and pushed the lead back to 13 points (70-57). Bayern’s answer was a 10-2 run to close the third period and made it a five-point game (72-67) with Andreas Obst scoring 18 points so far.
The run continued for a 5-0 start in the fourth period as the score was tied at 72 and everything started from zero.
The game was still tied at 85 with three minutes left and Obst with a big three created distance (88-85). Edwards followed (90-85) and Bayern suddenly had a five-point cushion which proved to be enough.
Photo credit: EuroLeague