Bayern needed overtime to beat Milan 91-84 for its third consecutive home victory.
Carsen Edwards, Serge Ibaka were Bayern's one-two punch
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Regular Season
Round 12 of 34
Group Regular Season
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan led 70-76 with 59.1 seconds left in regulation and the win seemed in its hands. What happened? FC Bayern Munich managed to force overtime in unbelievable fashion.
Sylvain Francisco found Carsen Edwards for an open three-pointer. When Shavon Shields missed from beyond the arc and Serge Ibaka grabbed the rebound, Stefano Tonut immediately fouled on Francisco. It was Milan's last non-shooting foul and gave Bayern a chance to force overtime with another three-point shot.
Serge Ibaka sent the crowd wild
After a timeout, Francisco got the ball again, Tonut deflected the ball, which went straight into Ibaka's hands. He turned around and buried a three-pointer from the EuroLeague logo to send the game to overtime. Asked about it after the game, it sounded like it was a routine shot for Ibaka.
"I work on that shot every day and I just trusted myself, and I just shot it!" Ibaka said.
Then it was the turn of Carsen Edwards
In overtime, Edwards made the difference. He had 11 points in the extra period, including 7 consecutive points that took the game from an 82-82 tie to an 89-82 Bayern lead. Edwards was highly praised by Bayern head coach Pablo Laso, after the game.
"It was more of a players' thing and I think Carsen [Edwards] showed up with 2 great three-pointers in a row and he lifted us up. Serge [Ibaka], for sure, with his three-pointer at the end of regulation, but I think Carsen lifted us up with those three-pointers and okay, when you get to overtime, in this kind of game where everybody is very tired, it is a matter of players," Laso said. "There was a moment for Shavon Shields, and there was a moment for Carsen Edwards, and let's put it this way, Carsen Edwards's was a better moment than Shavon Shields's."
Edwards had a tough start of the season, averaging 2.5 points and a PIR of -9.0 in his first two games. This game could be a turnaround moment for them, as he set new career highs of 32 points and a PIR of 28, making 7 of 11 two-pointers and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. .
"We were getting stops on the defensive end and my teammates helped me get open, good plays, good set screens, so I was happy to see some going in," Edwards said. "Playing hard and being able to get stops was important for us, getting rebounds at the end of the game and playing from there."
As for Ibaka, added to his game-saving three-pointer at the end of the regulation, he finished the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds and a PIR of 28. In the last four games, Ibaka averaged 19.5 points on 8 of 10 three-point shooting, 9.0 rebounds and a PIR of 24.5.
Bayern has proved to be strong at home and now faces a tough test on the road, facing last season's finalists Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday at 20:15 CET.