A key meeting between direct rivals will see Bayern (13-16) attempt to continue its strong form with a trip to Valencia (13-16), which has lost four in a row.
Game Notes: Valencia vs. Bayern
Both teams excel on defense, with Valencia conceding just 78.2 points per game, while Bayern allowed just 58 points in last week's key win over Zalgiris. However, the Spanish team fell far short of its usual standards by shipping an alarming 118 points in last week's loss to Fenerbahce, and will be further hindered this week by the loss of center Brandon Davies through injury. That will give encouragement to Bayern's powerful collection of big men including Serge Ibaka, Isaac Bonga and Devin Booker, who has reached 20 points in two of the last three games.
- The home team has won each of the last five games between Bayern and Valencia and six of seven in EuroLeague action.
- Bayern and Valencia ran into each other during the 2015 EuroCup Eighthfinals; the Spanish team won both games by an average of 28 points.
- Bayern's Vladimir Lucic spent three seasons with Valencia basket, from 2013 to 2016. He helped the team win the 2014 EuroCup championship.
- Valencia point guard Stefan Jovic played at Bayern for two seasons, helping the team win back-to-back German League championships in 2018 and 2019.
- Jovic and Lucic have been teammates on the Serbian national team.
- Jovic dished a career-high 19 assists playing for Crvena Zvezda Belgrade against Bayern in December 2015.
- Bayern center Serge Ibaka was a teammate with Valencia's Victor Claver on the Spanish national team that won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.
- When Bayern beat Valencia 90-79 in November 2020, Vladimir Lucic had 22 points and a career-high performance index rating of 35, earning him weekly MVP honors.
- Last season in Munich, Bayern beat Valencia 97-92 in a game that saw Valencia's Jared Harper post a career-high PIR of 21.
- Valencia center Brandon Davies pulled down a career-high 10 defensive rebounds playing for FC Barcelona in Game 4 of the 2022 Playoffs, a loss against Bayern.