He drilled three straight triples when it mattered the most for the visitors
Rathan-Mayes catches fire from deep as Bayern 'weathers the storm' to beat Paris
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 9 of 38
Regular Season
Paris BasketballPBB
8286
FC Bayern MunichBAY
Overview
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The opening stages of the 2025-26 EuroLeague campaign may not have been what Xavier Rathan-Mayes would have hoped for when he joined FC Bayern Munich in the summer. After netting a season-high 18 points in the opener against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, the Canadian guard averaged just 5.4 points in his last seven games heading into Thursday’s clash against Paris Basketball.
Rathan-Mayes was particularly struggling to find his range from deep, having gone 6-for-33 in his first eight EuroLeague games as a Bayern player.
And then came this exceptional fourth-quarter outing against Paris.
Bayern started strong and dominated the boards, taking a 19-22 lead after 10 minutes. The visitors didn’t allow Paris to find its rhythm at any point in the first half and established a double-digit advantage thanks to a 2-12 run in the second quarter.
Paris trailed 42-53 at halftime, but it hit the ground running in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 12-1 surge. The hosts upped their defensive game, forcing 7 turnovers by Bayern, which was held to just 11 points as Paris secured a 68-64 lead heading into the fourth.
Yet, the German side showed character and bounced back with a 1-8 run, which was opened by Rathan-Mayes, who netted his second triple of the night after scoring just 4 points in the first three quarters.
“We weathered the storm,” Gordon Herbert told EuroLeague TV after the game. “They got on a big run, we were down by 4, and we were able to make a couple of big plays on the offensive end.”
Justin Robinson tied the game at 72-72 midway through the closing quarter and then the Rathan-Mayes show started.
The 31-year-old fired on all cylinders, drilling three straight triples to give Bayern a 74-81 advantage with 1:43 left on the clock.
“He made some huge shots in crunch time,” Herbert added. “Both our point guards [Spencer Dinwiddie and Kamar Baldwin] were in foul trouble with 4 [fouls each] on the bench and he stepped in and did an outstanding job.”
Paris responded with a 5-0 run, as a triple from Sebastian Herrera brought them within 79-81. But an experienced Dinwiddie came to the fore, nailing an off-balance three-pointer to stun the hosts.
“Paris is a team playing the same way being up 10 or down 20,” Vladimir Lucic told EuroLeague TV. “We let them play their game at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. But the good thing is that we bounced back with some individual talent, and made some tough shots in the end to get a big and important win here in Paris.”
Herrera nailed a second straight three that cut the difference to 82-84, but Robinson squandered the opportunity to steal the win by missing from behind the rainbow. Dinwiddie picked up a huge defensive rebound and found Lucic, who dunked in transition to seal the outcome.
As for Rathan-Mayes, he ended the game on 16 points, having gone 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
“We definitely came out to a good start,” Wenyen Gabriel said. “That shows to our preparation and not getting complacent, carrying the momentum. But also, we responded in the second half to the run that happened in the third quarter. [This is important] because we have a big, long road stretch coming up and things like that are going to happen. And how we respond will be important.”
Bayern’s home game against FC Barcelona to open the upcoming double-round week will be followed by seven road games in a row.
But Thursday’s performance could serve as a reminder that this team has the character to bounce back from adversity on the road. And in Rathan-Mayes, they boast the player to deliver in clutch moments.
