Lucic, Bayern deal Milan its first loss

In a rematch from last season's playoffs, FC Bayern Munich defeated previously undefeated AX Armani Exchange Milan 83-77 at home on Tuesday. Bayern improved to 2-4 in the standings while Milan dropped to 5-1. Vladimir Lucic led the winners with 20 points, Darrun Hilliard added 17, Corey Walden had 16 and Othello Hunter pulled down 10 rebounds for Bayern. Nicolo Melli led five Milan scorers in double digits with 16 points. Luigi Datome added 14, Dinos Mitoglou 13, Sergio Rodriguez 11 and Kyle Hines 10. Hilliard led a 9-0 run which gave Bayern an early 11-4 lead. Melli and Datome rescued Milan and then Mitoglou and Rodriguez helped the visitors to a 21-24 lead after 10 minutes. Melli kept pushing Milan but Lucic and Walden allowed Bayern to tie the game, 39-39, at halftime. Bayern found a go-to guy in Hilliard, who allowed the hosts to take a 59-54 lead at the end of the third quarter. Walden had 8 points in a 10-0 run that put Bayern on the right track, and even though Milan got within 78-74, DeShaun Thomas buried a three-pointer that sealed the outcome.

Gavin Schilling got Bayern going with a tip-in, but Kyle Hines downed back-to-back jumpers for a 2-4 Milan lead. Hilliard took over with a three-point play, igniting a 9-0 run which he capped with a triple. Vladimir Lucic soon struck from downtown to boost Bayern's margin to 14-8. Melli scored down low and Datome improved Augustine Rubit's jumper with a three-pointer. Mitoglou and Rodriguez each downed a jumper and then Datome added a fast break basket that tied it at 19-19. Rodriguez buried a wide-open triple and Mitoglou beat the first-quarter buzzer with a turnaround jumper for a 21-24 Milan lead after 10 minutes.

Hunter followed a jump hook with a put-back dunk for a 25-24 Bayern lead early in the second quarter. Devon Hall and Mitoglou rescued Milan with back-to-back layups and Melli dunked in a 0-6 run that restored a 25-30 Milan lead. Corey Walden hit a three-pointer and Rubit added a layup-plus-foul but Troy Daniels hit a jumper for a 31-32 Milan edge. Milan found a new go-to guy in Melli, but Lucic and Walden gave Bayern a 39-37 lead at halftime. Melli beat the halftime buzzer with a tip-in that tied it at 39-39.

Lucic struck from beyond the arc right after the break, but Hines and Datome each scored around the basket for a 42-43 Milan edge. Rubit and Hall traded baskets and DeShawn Thomas buried his trademark corner triple for a 47-45 score. Hines took over with a reverse layup off the baseline. Hilliard and Hunter fueled a 9-0 run that gave Bayern a 56-47 margin. Mitoglou tried to change things for the visitors, but he didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, Hilliard sank a triple off the dribble to keep Bayern fully in charge, 59-54, after 30 minutes.

Shavon Shields took over with a three-point play early in the fourth quarter. Thomas answered with an off-balance jump hook and Hilliard buried his third three-pointer, which prompted the visitors to stop the game at 64-57. Melli banked in a tough shot and Rodriguez bettered Hunter's put-back basket with a layup-plus-foul. Datome soon added a step-back jumper and a three-pointer that completed Milan's comeback, 66-67, with over 6 minutes left. Bayern found a go-to guy in Walden, who had 8 points in a 10-0 run which he capped with back-to-back bombs from downtown. Mitoglou dunked and Datome gave Milan hope at 76-72. After Lucic scored in penetration, Melli matched that with a tip-in. Thomas sealed the outcome with a corner three-pointer.

Walden rescues Bayern in crunch time

FC Bayern Munich led 56-47 in its home game against AX Armani Exchange Milan and everything pointed to an easy home win. Milan, however, had other ideas, as Sergio Rodriguez, Dinos Mitoglou and Luigi Datome fueled a 10-20 run that gave the visitors a 66-67 lead with over 6 minutes left. Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri asked for a much-needed timeout and Corey Walden stepped up when his team needed it most. He hit free throws and buried back-to-back three-point shots in a 10-0 run that put Bayern ahead for good, 76-67. It was the turning point of a thrilling, intense showdown.

Melli, Hines shine in return to Germany

Nicolo Melli and Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan are linked to German basketball as both of them played for Brose Bamberg in the past. Hines started his EuroLeague career with that team and previously played for FC Bayern Munich head coach Andrea Trinchieri at Italian side Veroli. Melli took a critical step forwards in his career and earned a spot on the 2016-17 All-EuroLeague Second Team while playing for Bamberg. Both of them had solid games at Audi Dome; Melli finished the game with season-highs of 16 points and 8 rebounds and Hines had 10 points, his first double-digit game in scoring since Round 1.

Three-pointers, steals lead Bayern to win

FC Bayern Munich could not stop AX Armani Exchange Milan around the baskets. Indeed, Milan finished with the third-highest two-point shooting percentage in club history, 73.5%, making 25 of 34 attempts inside the arc. Bayern, however, excelled in other aspects of the game and that led the German powerhouse to its second victory. Bayern hit 10 of 26 three-pointers (38.5%) and only allowed Milan to score 3 of 19 shots from downtown (15.8%). Bayern was near perfect (95.8%, 23 of 24) from the foul line, had 7 steals and only 9 turnovers. On the other hand, Milan had 2 steals and 12 turnovers.