FC Barcelona escaped Munich with a narrow 75-74 victory over FC Bayern on Wednesday night at the SAP Garden, marking a successful debut for interim head coach Oscar Orellana.
The win came just three days after Orellana replaced Joan Penarroya, who was dismissed following a slow start to the EuroLeague season. Despite limited time to implement changes, the 45-year-old delivered an immediate response as Barcelona improved to 6-4.
Orellana’s strategy focused on controlling the paint and limiting Bayern’s top perimeter threat, Andreas Obst. Tomas Satoransky took on the defensive assignment and held Obst to just 3 points on 1-for-8 shooting, a stark contrast to his 11 made three-pointers in last season’s meeting in Munich.
Barcelona also shifted away from heavy reliance on the three-point shot, attempting only 17 from deep compared to its previous average of nearly 27. The result was a more balanced offense that built a 43-32 halftime lead. Willy Hernangomez responded to his expanded role with 10 points in 16 minutes after averaging just 2.6 over the previous five games.
Satoransky led Barcelona with 13 points and a PIR of 22, while Will Clyburn added 12 and Toko Shengelia scored 10. Orellana also reintroduced Jan Vesely into key post positions, helping the team generate high-percentage looks and draw fouls inside.
Bayern, which entered on a three-game winning streak, struggled to move the ball early and managed only two assists in the first half. Spencer Dinwiddie carried the offense with 16 points before halftime but went scoreless in the second half until the final possession, when he split two free throws with 1.2 seconds left that would have tied the game.
Orellana’s debut victory gave Barcelona renewed stability after a turbulent week and snapped Bayern’s three-game run. The German side fell to 5-5, despite solid outings from Spencer Dinwiddie and Oscar da Silva, who each finished with 17 points.
Barcelona (6-4) returns home to face Virtus Bologna on Friday, while Bayern (5-5) travels to Istanbul to play Anadolu Efes in Round 11.
