FC Bayern Munich has struggled all season on defense, but the unit shined late against Barcelona
Bayern's defense stepped up when needed late
Article
3 Mins read
FC Bayern Munich’s defense has been questioned all season, but it showed against FC Barcelona that it can perform when it counts as the German champs finished the game in superb fashion for a crucial comeback win.
Bayern held the number one offense in the league to just 2 free throws in the final 3 minutes to reel off a 2-11 close to the game and win 101-102 at Barcelona in a massive road victory in the battle for the playoffs.
“A character win for us,” said Bayern head coach Gordon Herbert. “We had a great last 2 minutes of the game. We got some stops and the guys played tough and we got some big baskets going the other way. Defensively we struggled at times. They are a very good offensive team. But give our guys credit. They fought through stuff and stayed together.”
Game Videos
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Real Madrid-FC Bayern Munich | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Kharchenkov’s flying slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Xavi Pascual, Boniface N'Dong remember 2010 title triumph on The Crossover
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Devin Booker: 'We were not gonna let this game slip'
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FC Bayern Munich-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Edwards weaved his way for a layup! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kevin Punter: 'True testament of us being a team'
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FC Barcelona-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Willy posterizes Toko! Motorola Magic Moment
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FC Bayern Munich-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Elias Harris beats the shot-clock buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
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The Fantasy Challenge Podcast prepares for the end of the regular season
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Jabari Parker: 'We just wanted it more'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-FC Barcelona | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Hernangomez says no! Motorola Magic Moment
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The Fantasy Challenge Podcast presents: The Barcelona dilemma
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Dario Brizuela: 'Today we woke up with the will to compete with high intensity'
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-FC Barcelona | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Shabazz Napier: 'Today we showed resilience'
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FC Bayern Munich-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Barca's hustle play! Motorola Magic Moment
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Nick Weiler-Babb: 'Big-time players make big plays'
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FC Barcelona-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 31 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Harris dunks home Voigtmann’s sweet dish! Motorola Magic Moment,
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Parker’s perfect pass sets up Satoransky slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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The Fantasy Challenge Podcast gang reunites for the double week
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Justin Anderson: 'This team is trending in the right direction'
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FC Barcelona-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Punter-to-Metu alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Tomas Satoransky: 'It's a mistake to look at the standings'
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FC Barcelona-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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FC Bayern Munich-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Edwards's acrobatic layup! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Metu thunder dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Punter-Anderson connection! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:23
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Dario Brizuela: 'If you play at Barcelona, you are ready for that pressure'
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ALBA Berlin-FC Barcelona | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Anderson's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:39
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Vladimir Lucic: 'It was an important win tonight'
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FC Bayern Munich-Crvena Zvezda Meridanbet Belgrade | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:21
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Voigtmann dunks with aplomb! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
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What a wild three from Napier! Motorola Magic Moment
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Real Madrid-FC Barcelona | RS Round 27 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:35
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Lucic dunks in traffic! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Paris Basketball-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 27 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
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Abrines like lightning! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Edwards goes coast to coast! Motorola Magic Moment
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FC Barcelona-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 26 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
Bayern trailed by 11 points 94-83 with just over 5 minutes to play and it was still 99-91 when Herbert’s men stepped up their defense, which came into the game ranked 16th in the league in points allowed.
“We were very resilient in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter when it came down to it. Big-time players make big plays and we just stuck together at the end,” said Nick Weiler-Babb, who collected 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the win, which improved Bayern’s record to 18-13 and dropped Barcelona to 17-14.
The victory also came after Bayern had suffered a 112-89 loss last week at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
“A very big one for us. We lost a bad one in Baskonia so we had to bounce back. And this was a good way to do it,” added Weiler-Babb.
“That was a high-level game. With a team like that, there were so many runs and so many momentum changes. I’m just happy to get through this game healthy and be able to win,” said Carsen Edwards, who scored 23 points including a layup to make it 101-100 with 39 seconds to play and setting up Vladimir Lucic’s game-deciding free throws with 17 seconds left.
“A big win for us. We have to keep chipping away and take it one game at a time. But this was a good one for us.”
Also to know that the defense can be there in big games when it matters most.