Svetislav Pesic improves to 7-3 since replacing Gordie Herbert as head coach
Bayern keeps rolling against Monaco
Spielbericht
3 Lesezeit
Regular Season
Round 27 of 38
Regular Season
FC Bayern MunichBAY
9182
AS MonacoASM
Overview
w
w
w
w
l
l
l
l
l
l
The last time FC Bayern Munich and AS Monaco faced each other, the mood around the German club could not have been more different.
That meeting in the Principality came at the tail end of Bayern’s seven-game road swing – a brutal stretch that ended 0-7. Head coach Gordie Herbert missed the first three games due to illness and was on the bench for the final four, but the slide never stopped. A 103-77 loss to Monaco dropped Bayern to 5-12 and ultimately proved to be Herbert’s final game in charge.
Thursday night at SAP Garden told a very different story.
Buoyed by the arrival of Svetislav Pesic, Bayern played with confidence and control, defeating Monaco 91-82 to claim its fourth straight win. The victory improved Bayern to 7-3 since Pesic returned to the club – and to 12–15 overall – while Monaco’s struggles deepened with a fifth consecutive loss. That skid has seen the French side slide down the standings to 10th, clinging to the final play-in spot at 15-12.
Defense has been the clearest calling card of Pesic’s Bayern. Entering Round 27, only Valencia had topped 80 points against the German club in its previous five games. Monaco, which arrived in Munich averaging 90.9 points per game, was held to just 82. Vassilis Spanoulis's visitors led just three times on the night, too, which all came in the second quarter.
“We won again in our gym. We made everyone happy,” Pesic told EuroLeague TV afterward. “And today, we showed that we can play offensively like we can defensively. Until now, we were one of the best – not the best, but one of the best – teams. In the last five games, we allowed only 74 points for our opponents. Now a little bit more, but we were very good on offense.”
Offensively, Bayern once again spread the load. Andi Obst led the way with 19 points, knocking down five three-pointers. Isiaha Mike added 12, while Oscar da Silva and Neno Dimitrijevic scored 11 apiece. Wenyen Gabriel chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds, and with Niels Giffey and Justinian Jessup adding 8 points each, Bayern showcased the balance that has fueled its recent surge.
Monaco, by contrast, leaned heavily on Mike James. The guard poured in 30 points – his second-highest scoring performance of the season – but received limited support. Only Nemanja Nedovic and Jaron Blossomgame joined him in double figures, finishing with 12 points apiece.
“Everybody made big plays, especially in the fourth quarter,” Obst said. “Of course, the team trusts me. I get the ball and try to find something – a shot, a drive, a pass, maybe even a rebound. I let the game come to me, and hopefully something good will happen.”
The win leaves Bayern three games behind Monaco with 11 rounds remaining. Just a couple of months ago, a play-in berth seemed a long shot for the German club. But a dramatic turnaround – aided by a home-heavy schedule that has seen Pesic’s Bayern play eight of his first 10 games in Munich – has pushed Bayern firmly into the postseason conversation.
Still, Gabriel is preaching caution.
“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time,” he said. “We’re still trying to qualify for the play-in, we’re trying to win the (German) Cup. We’re using these games to build confidence and keep pushing forward.”
There is just one round remaining before the February mini-break. Bayern heads on the road next Thursday to face Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv, while Monaco will look to halt its slide at home against Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
