Hapoel silences Munich as EuroLeague leaders spoil Pesic’s return against Bayern – TalkBasket.net

Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv continued its EuroLeague surge on Tuesday night by beating FC Bayern Munich 82-72 at SAP Garden, spoiling both Bayern’s home match and Svetislav Pesic’s first match on the sidelines.

The match marked Bayern’s first EuroLeague home appearance since November 12 and the start of a new coaching chapter under Pesic. Showing little sympathy, Hapoel controlled the match from start to finish and improved to 13–5 in the standings.

The visitors set the tone early with defensive discipline and physicality, building a lead that reached double figures halfway through the first half. Bayern struggled to find an attacking rhythm, while Hapoel dictated the pace and distance on both sides.

Hapoel effectively put the game away during a decisive period in the third quarter. A 16-0 run in almost six minutes made the margin unrecoverable and underlined why the Israeli club currently sits at the top of the EuroLeague table.

The lead grew to 25 points early in the fourth quarter before Hapoel pulled away. Bayern capitalized late to reduce the deficit, but the outcome was never in question.

Elijah Bryant led the way with 18 points, including 16 in the first half, establishing control early. Dan Oturu added 16 points and seven rebounds, consistently finishing inside and protecting the paint. Antonio Blakeney and Chris Jones each scored 12 points to even the score.

For Bayern, the loss extended a difficult stretch to nine straight EuroLeague defeats, dropping the team to 5–13. Pesic, coaching his first game at the club since 2016, was blunt in his assessment.

Pesic also made history by becoming the oldest head coach in EuroLeague history at 76 years, three months and 26 days. All twelve Bayern players saw action as the experienced coach evaluated his squad.

Andreas Obst led the way with 18 points on three made 3-pointers, while David McCormack added 12 points off the bench.

Hapoel now returns home at 1–5pm to host Zalgiris Kaunas next Tuesday. Bayern, still looking for grip, welcome Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv on Friday as the rebuilding process continues under Pesic.