Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich started into the second group phase of the EuroCup with a defeat. The 2014 champions lost surprisingly well with the Italian representative Fiat Turin 76:90 (32:46). The Bayern had qualified as group winners for the intermediate round of the best 16 teams.
Former German champions Alba Berlin suffered a clear 81:100 (38:53) defeat at Herbalife Gran Canaria, beating Spain’s first division side in every phase of the match. The US-American Luke Sikma stemmed as the best thrower of the game with 27 points against defeat.
Bayern coach Sasa Djordjevic’s team was trailing 14 points in the first half of the match against Italy, which they had founded in 2015. Top scorer was Turin’s former NBA player Diante Garrett with 21 points.
“Congratulations to Turin, they started the game quite differently than we did. I have no explanation for our first half, we lacked the attitude to meet the physical demands of such a game. 14 turnovers until then and 19 at the end, that is unacceptable. We knew what was coming, their transition game for example and fast breaks. We didn’t even fouled. We reacted in the second half because we have pride and we actually know how to do it. But some of them have taken this too easy and don’t know Italian basketball. We can’t afford it,”Djordjevic said.