The veteran big man recorded career highs in points (24), rebounds (13) and PIR (34) against Virtus.
Serge Ibaka set several career-highs in Bayern’s comeback win
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 11 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Serge Ibaka produced an MVP-of-the-game performance on Thursday night to lead FC Bayern Munich to a 90-76 home victory over Virtus Segafredo Bologna. The experienced center recorded career highs in points (24), rebounds (13) and PIR (34), allowing Bayern to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
The German side struggled in the first quarter, where it was outscored 20-28, with Ibaka getting just 4 points. Yet, the Bayern center grew into the game, netted 11 points in the second quarter, and helped the hosts make it a one-possession game, 44-46, heading into the second half.
This is when Bayern bounced back, took the lead for the first time (56-53) since early in the first quarter and finally turned the game around. Ibaka played a key role in Bayern maintaining its lead by dominating in the paint and ending the third quarter with 20 points and 5 offensive rebounds.
“I think that as a team we did a great job,” Ibaka said after the game. “We started a bit slow in the beginning, but we kept trusting in each other to play the right way. In the second half, we tried to bring intensity on defense and that’s why we got the win.”
Bayern took a narrow 70-66 lead into the last quarter, with players such as Sylvain Francisco and Danko Brankovic stepping up to finish the game off. The former scored 7 of his 13 points in the last 8 minutes of the game. His triple with 5:44 left on the clock gave Bayern its first double-digit lead of the game, 81-71, and dealt a major blow to Virtus, which led by 14 points (23-37) midway through the second quarter.
“It was kind of tough in the first half, but in the second half we had to play hard, especially on defense to make them get hard plays and shots,” Francisco noted. “That’s what we did and we ran a lot. We had to not let them play their game at their pace and play a lot harder on defense and keep fighting.”
Game Videos
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Real Madrid-FC Bayern Munich | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/04363545-3e11-4a2e-9dea-ed7ad1bb79da.jpg?crop=1340%3A754%3Anowe%3A5%3A0]()
Kharchenkov’s flying slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/04/15/HgcvNiwfEmtDhMgBA5MI1kwzvvnVQxTh-1744753210830.jpg]()
Devin Booker: 'We were not gonna let this game slip'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/1_Qk0wxpo9c/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:35
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/d0c104c0-cf64-4d38-882b-1bb850113800.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A0%3A216]()
Edwards weaved his way for a layup! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/f20bc237-7edd-4cdd-b811-d7153da3cd6a.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/21c4b8d6-3688-4833-8c73-1c6981527ace.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A118%3A72]()
Polonara’s big put-back dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/dc0f01cd-a17a-4890-aa09-79a3cea6277f.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/8487d39e-ad44-4e48-a0a4-c77b38e2fea1.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A177%3A68]()
Elias Harris beats the shot-clock buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:12
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/04/05/YrHv1274soNJz9XGpwTUMnq5zfAjxJHm-1743811397945.jpg]()
Matt Morgan: 'As a team, we're starting to gel together'
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/2b76ec62-cb28-42ad-ab57-5b4a957d312f.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/31041c88-5da4-4a11-bff6-cdf614ba9764.jpg?crop=1230%3A692%3Anowe%3A60%3A57]()
Belinelli’s no-look pass! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/c4b532fc-d7f1-4e2a-9411-35bee2136916.jpg]()
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/79cd65c3-a22d-4d82-b3ae-f220ac3c7b00.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bb96d3f6-1448-45a3-8519-5cbfbd81ec17.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A270%3A41]()
Clyburn beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:59
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/27/4lQpKKG46VYyMW9kH53cFecvqUEsm38U-1743112677443.jpg]()
Shabazz Napier: 'Today we showed resilience'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/37b92e58-4d46-406b-86c8-3957e76ef374.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9238fe42-4c6e-40c6-b57e-646ef163709f.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 31 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ec2e10ee-cf41-4ade-9a90-174fbf106566.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A83%3A73]()
Cordinier rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:37
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/25/768HeUKhjgBjYf4zq68cNAlBA0q3nJHZ-1742943789980.jpg]()
Nick Weiler-Babb: 'Big-time players make big plays'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8a3c4294-519f-405f-a108-42fbeb9077fb.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 31 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/062edfe6-ffc1-40b5-b53c-7bb63edf83eb.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A81%3A75]()
Harris dunks home Voigtmann’s sweet dish! Motorola Magic Moment,
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/90fd35c7-86f5-414b-9f7c-d3515f50b4ab.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2c426c46-4a59-4d27-92e2-3af7d1149ca7.jpg]()
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f1da0cef-1294-434f-9578-a52e6c4c754d.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A163%3A103]()
Great pass from Pajola! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/1d698d65-16a1-4c8d-b1aa-b39d52c352b3.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a811a0a6-30f4-4d0d-8205-2aa4e64cf370.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A107%3A51]()
Edwards's acrobatic layup! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/521d92bc-4763-4260-b58c-1ed01a58a3c4.jpg]()
Viritus Segafredo Bologna-Real Madrid | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/95054e2b-3db5-4127-83e1-2b705ffdd566.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A100%3A91]()
Polonara blocks Hezonja! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7c3bd048-2f52-4289-a21d-23930dd5e839.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8e0922bd-fdaa-4026-b36a-4c3e9e421262.jpg?crop=704%3A396%3Anowe%3A126%3A104]()
Diouf posterizes Poirier! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:39
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/06/8VgUnt3pDqDAC7ZzKeJqGOsoFyU6djyR-1741298121764.jpg]()
Vladimir Lucic: 'It was an important win tonight'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e7f1f129-ec3a-497f-9e6c-65c4ac9c9d06.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Crvena Zvezda Meridanbet Belgrade | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:21
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/515a245e-59f3-416d-849d-97ecac7712e9.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A222%3A32]()
Voigtmann dunks with aplomb! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/520ef617-8bd3-4282-8628-f5c311cf7998.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A107%3A146]()
What a wild three from Napier! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/38d5f87b-c509-44a7-9319-e0e9782a1260.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 27 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dae9055d-488d-4422-98b1-b4abce99934d.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A153%3A38]()
Cordinier with the follow-up slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:35
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/1fc815db-382b-45f3-96ac-296718ab224f.jpg?crop=1350%3A759%3Anowe%3A0%3A33]()
Lucic dunks in traffic! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f753452d-a6b4-44b2-905f-0abf02049488.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 27 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/14b84cec-9fcd-4059-8c4d-cb315ac11494.jpg?crop=898%3A505%3Anowe%3A233%3A124]()
Edwards goes coast to coast! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4d33aa1f-3790-4906-a883-660feaeec2d7.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Paris Basketball | RS Round 26 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9152f84e-3e84-4a32-9e31-8c40cb24d2f2.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A135%3A128]()
Shengelia with the follow-up slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:44
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/02/06/HG9A7HOvDlH6dTZULuJgXqbJnS8uQLzc-1738882691473.jpg]()
Nick Weiler-Babb: 'In the second half, we came out to play'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f0e14de8-6633-4817-a5bf-3256e7620957.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 26 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7376d075-ce19-40d4-93f2-3dec593c5e75.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Partizan Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 25 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:11
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/02/04/eF9wyczOJDKRmrFckDelQILbzFpUoQs8-1738707491614.jpg]()
Vladimir Lucic: 'We started a little bit nervous'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/effd408e-1083-4d56-80aa-70cd70b95ad3.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 25 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/kXGV5fg9Lnc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 24 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:01
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/30/vLc3jE6a2y5qfJUt3aXycgBM9hdELCv9-1738273226293.jpg]()
Nick Weiler-Babb: 'We created those open shots with our good offense'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/n69KDNToJ7w/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 24 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
Ibaka shined and Francisco stepped up when his team needed him the most, but it was Brankovic who received an ovation from the home crowd. The 23-year-old center finished the game with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 drawn fouls, 2 steals and 2 blocks for a career-high PIR of 15. Most importantly, he offered Bayern 15:10 quality minutes on the floor and allowed head coach Pablo Laso to give Ibaka some rest.
“Danko was very good,” Laso said in the post-game press conference. “He gave us a lot from the bench. He was able to play good defense and understood what we needed. He was making shots, making free throws. I think that the way Danko was able to step up on that moment was probably a very important part of the victory.”
After recording its fifth win of the season, Bayern (5-6) will look to build on its momentum heading into the upcoming double-round week. The German side will host EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Tuesday before traveling to Greece, where they will face Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday.