Home sweet home: After four away games, FC Bayern Basketball are back in Munich and have been preparing since Tuesday for their next challenge. Once again, it will be a demanding one: a visit from the in-form Dubai Basketball team.
The team coached by Xavi Pascual, who moved from Barcelona, have recorded four wins after six EuroLeague games. Bayern returned from Istanbul with their second victory and are hoping to secure their first home win. Tip-off at the SAP Garden is at 8 p.m.
“Limit the opponent’s scoring runs”
“We know they have a very strong roster and several excellent players in every position,” head coach Anton Gavel says, referring to the opponent’s deep, high-quality squad. “But we have already let a few games slip away, so now we simply have to deliver against teams that are certainly very strong on paper. In the EuroLeague, it is about making the most of our underdog opportunity against teams like these. We will do everything we can to win this home game against Dubai. To do that, we need to perform at our highest level, and we have to keep any scoring runs by the opponent shorter than we have managed so far.”
In their second EuroLeague season, the team from the United Arab Emirates—which secured a five-season wildcard—is openly targeting the playoffs, at the very least. After winning the Adriatic League for the first time—beating Partizan in the finals—they are now entering their third season in the competition. During the summer, the signings of Elie Okobo and Jaron Blossomgame (both from Monaco), Tornike Shengelia (Barcelona), and playmaker Thomas Walkup from defending champions Olympiacos signaled their intention to challenge for the top spot in Europe’s premier competition.
Okobo, Shengelia and Walkup alongside top scorer Bacon
After opening with wins over Barcelona and Real Madrid, Dubai most recently added away victories at Baskonia and in Milan. Dubai’s physically strong forward Dwayne Bacon has stood out offensively so far (17.8 points per game, 45.5% from three-point range), followed by center Mfiondu Kabengele, who also remained with the team (12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds per game).
Frenchman Okobo is averaging 11.5 points per game, but in addition to the players already mentioned, McKinley Wright (8.5) and Serbian international Filip Petrusev (6.8) can also turn a game in their team’s favor at any time. Guard Davion Mintz has also joined from Würzburg, while star player Dzanan Musa (12.5 points per game over his career) has not yet played at all; he has been working on his comeback in Munich for some time.
Voigtmann: “The atmosphere at home is extremely important”
“Dubai have individually outstanding players who are extremely strong in one-on-one situations. We have to contain these players effectively in individual defense and work together as a team defensively. If we do that, we will have a good chance,” says world champion Johannes Voigtmann, who is also counting on the crowd at the SAP Garden:
“At home, it is important for us to get into our rhythm more quickly than we did in our first two home games. In addition to our energy, we need unity between the fans and the team, so that the spectators can see that we are prepared to fight hard for every win. The atmosphere at home is extremely important to us, and we hope we can thank the fans with a victory.”
In the league, the leaders will enter Matchday 5 on Sunday. At BMW Park, they will immediately face the Towers from Hamburg again—their cup opponents from last weekend. Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m.