Lucic leads Bayern to German derby win

In a thrilling German derby, FC Bayern Munich grabbed its third consecutive victory by downing ALBA Berlin 62-56 at Audi Dome on Friday. Bayern improved to 11-11 and moved into eighth place while ALBA dropped to 6-15 and is on a four-game losing streak. Vladimir Lucic led the winners with 19 points. Jaleen Smith and Maodo Lo paced ALBA with 13 points apiece. Corey Walden hit back-to-back triples to give Bayern an early 10-8 lead, but Smith and Johannes Thiemann allowed ALBA to tie the game, 16-16, after 10 minutes. Lucic gave Bayern a 26-21 late in the first half but Ben Lammers, Lo and Smith fueled a 1-17 run that gave ALBA a 31-41 margin midway through the third quarter. Walden and Andreas Obst helped the hosts return to the game, 41-44, after 30 minutes. Lo turned the game into a thriller, 53-52, but Zan Sisko and Lucic stepped up big in crunch time to lead Bayern to an important win.

Lammers got ALBA going with an off-balance three-point play and Smith bettered Lucic's jumper with a triple for a 2-6 lead. Leon Radosevic stepped up with a put-back layup and Walden struck twice from downtown to give Bayern its first lead, 10-8. Smith insisted from beyond the arc but Lucic answered with a layup and DeShaun Thomas dunked to restore a 14-11 Bayern lead. Thiemann hit a jump hook but Sisko matched it with a step-back jumper. Malte Delow buried a corner jumper that helped ALBA tie the game, 16-16, after 10 minutes.

Tamir Blatt nailed a three-pointer early in the second quarter. Lucic answered from downtown and soon added a backdoor layup to make ALBA call timeout at 21-19. Augustine Rubit capped an 8-0 run with a layup-plus-foul and Radosevic matched Oscar Da Silva's fast break basket with a six-meter jumper, good for a 26-21 Bayern lead. Lammers took over with a wild alley-oop slam and Lo kept the guests within 26-24 at halftime.

Luke Sikma scored in the low post soon after the break and Lo added a fast break layup to complete ALBA's comeback, 26-28. Lo kept pacing the guests with a bomb from downtown, and Lammers followed a jumper with a dunk before Smith struck from downtown to cap a mammoth 1-17 run. Lucic tried to change things for Bayern but Yovel Zoosman joined the three-point shootout to make it a double-digit game, 31-41. Nick Weiler-Babb sank a jumper and Lucic added a layup that gave Bayern hope at 35-42. Walden and Obst each struck from beyond the arc to bring the hosts within 41-44 after 30 minutes.

DeShaun Thomas sank a mid-range jumper early in the fourth quarter and Weiler-Babb added a put-back layup to make Bayern regain a 45-44 edge. Weiler-Babb kept pacing the hosts with a high-flying tip-in but Sikma erased that with a rainbow turnaround jumper and added a driving layup to give ALBA a 47-48 edge. Sisko took over with a running layup and fed Lucic for an alley-oop slam. Rubit soon hit a mid-range jumper for a 53-49 Bayern lead with 3 minutes to go. Lo split free throws and added a driving layup to make it a one-point game, 53-52. Sisko scored in penetration and Lucic ignited the crowd with a wild four-point play that sealed the outcome.

Lucic makes the difference against ALBA

Vladimir Lucic played a leading role in FC Bayern Munich's 62-56 Round 23 home victory against archrivals ALBA Berlin. Lucic led Bayern to a big victory with 19 points, becoming his team's only double-digit scorer. He hit 5-of-7 two-point shots and 2-of-5 three-pointers, adding 3 rebounds, an assist and 8 fouls drawn for a game-high PIR of 21. Lucic made plays when it mattered most, too. He ignited the crowd with a wild alley-oop slam that gave Bayern the right momentum, 51-48, midway through the fourth quarter and above all, sank a three-pointer - and the free throw that came with it - to seal the outcome, 59-52, in the final minute.

Bayern's hustle pays off

FC Bayern Munich had to fight until the final minute to beat ALBA Berlin 62-56 in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. At the end of the game, Bayern wanted it more and all the hustle stats prove it. Bayern finished the game with 4 blocked shots, all by different players, collected 14 steals - Nick Weiler-Babb had 6 of those, breaking a club record - and pulled down 12 offensive rebounds. Bayern's overall aggressiveness was also reflected in ALBA's really low two-point shooting percentage. ALBA hit just 14-of-35 two-point shots, 40.0%. Bayern did not do much better - 18-of-37, 48.6% 2FG - but it was enough to win the game.

Weiler-Babb steals the show - again

Nick Weiler-Babb of FC Bayern Munich set a new club record for most steals in a EuroLeague game, getting 6 in the Round 23 showdown against ALBA Berlin. He already had 6 steals early in the second quarter, beating his personal best with time to spare. In a Round 22 win against Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Weiler-Babb collected 5 steals, matching a club record that had belonged to Stefan Jovic, who did that against Anadolu Efes Istanbul on October 11, 2018. Weiler-Babb also did a bit of everything in this game - 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals and a block - to make sure Bayern grabbed its third consecutive victory.