The German visitors ended up coming out on top after double overtime in the first-ever game at LDLC Arena.
Three-point explosion sparked Bayern’s win at ASVEL
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5 Mins read
FC Bayern Munich has been on the receiving end of some close decisions in recent games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, most recently losing by just 1 point, 74-73, at Zalgiris Kaunas last week. So, when Thursday's Round 10 trip to LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne started to build up towards another nail-biting finale, the German team must have started to fear the worst.
In the end, though, Bayern was able to reverse the recent course of history by ending up on the right side of a tight finish, sneaking a 100-101 victory after double overtime in one of the most truly remarkable – and longest – games in the history of the competition.
ASVEL looked on course for the win
For a while, it didn’t even look as though Bayern would keep the game interesting. Early in the fourth quarter, ASVEL led by 12 points, 63-51, and the visiting team’s shot-shy offense, which scored just 14 points in the third quarter, was offering no signs of life.
In particular, Bayern had desperately struggled from three-point range, making only 4 of its 21 attempts from beyond the arc. But suddenly, without warning, Andreas Obst hit a pair of three-pointers, reducing the margin to a manageable gap and making ASVEL – which had gone cold against Pablo Laso’s zone defense – decidedly nervous.
Obst started a trend, and others followed: Niels Giffey, Devin Booker (twice) and Nick Weiler-Babb were also on target from deep, and the 12-point deficit had been turned into a four-point lead, 69-73, with just 2 minutes left.
With victory within reach, though, Bayern still had hurdles to overcome. ASVEL roared back and took the lead, 74-73, through David Lighty’s triple with 29 seconds left. With just 6 seconds on the clock, Leandro Bolmaro drew a shooting foul and had the chance to win it from the line; he couldn’t, missing his second free throw, and overtime beckoned.
The battle continued in overtime
The first extra 5 minutes again saw Bayern take charge with a 0-9 run, capped by Giffey’s three-pointer. Bolmaro protected the lead with a gutsy driving layup-and-one, but he was injured making the play and couldn’t attempt the free throw. Carsen Edwards came off the bench and, dead cold, missed the extra attempt, which sparked ASVEL on a 6-0 run in 40 seconds, making it 88-85 with 11 seconds left.
Bayern needed a three to tie it and remarkably got it to fall as Weiler-Babb calmly sidestepped the good defense of Mike Scott and drained a triple. That made it 88-88 and forced a second overtime period.
By now Bayern was without Obst – who suffered a foot injury – and Bolmaro, and then it also lost Serge Ibaka to his fifth foul. Undermanned, exhausted and up against the energy of nearly 12,000 fans, the game seemed to be slipping away as Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored all of ASVEL’s points in a 7-2 run, making it 95-90 with just over 2 minutes left.
Leaning on the three-ball
Bayern’s answer, again, came from beyond the arc. Giffey struck from deep and then Sylvain Francisco – who had previously made virtually no impact – did the same for a 97-97 tie. Paris Lee connected from behind the arc for ASVEL, but Francisco did so once more, this time with 18 seconds left to make it 100-100.
And when Joffrey Lauvergne was called for an offensive foul as he tried to score a game-winner for ASVEL with 2 seconds left, the end was finally in sight. Giffey split his free throws, there was no time for ASVEL to do anything, and an incredible game was won.
Bayern’s victory was down to resilience, depth, spirit... but most importantly, a drastic improvement in three-point shooting. After making just 4 of its first 21 attempts, the German team knocked down 11 of the next 19 with six different players hitting at least twice from beyond the arc. Without those three-point makes, the celebrations would undoubtedly have been on ASVEL’s side.