ALBA BERLIN are not only fighting for home court advantage in the playoffs but also are playing spoilers for other teams hoping to reach the post-season. The week also saw FRAPORT SKYLINERS get relegated to the ProA; Karsten Tadda hit a game-winning layup for Telekom Baskets Bonn while TJ Shorts and Justin Simon were the first two recipients of end-of-the-season awards and a trio of German teams are still alive in European club competition.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Berlin remain on course, hurt Crailsheim playoff chances with Round 12 make-up win
ALBA BERLIN survived a tough fight but remained on course to challenge for the top spot in the league with a 78-70 road victory over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim in a Round 12 make-up game that also hurt the hosts’ chances of reaching the post-season. The game was close until Berlin opened up an 11-point gap in the fourth quarter and they extended their win streak to six games for a 22-6 record and Crailsheim tumbled to their third straight loss for a 15-14 mark. Berlin dominated the glass 44-29 including 18 offensive rebounds, which led to a 16-7 advantage in second chance points. Jaleen Smith, Tamir Blatt and Christ Koumadje all scored 12 points for Berlin and Malte Delow added 11 points. Terrell Harris tallied a game-high 19 points for Crailsheim.
Berlin win streak hits eight, Bamberg miss chance to pull even with Göttingen
ALBA BERLIN remain right on the heels of league leaders Telekom Baskets Bonn as they rolled past Brose Bamberg 89-57 at home to hurt the guests’ playoffs chances. Berlin took the first quarter 23-8 and never looked back for their seventh straight win for second place with a 23-6 record while Bamberg fell to 15-16, missing a chance to pull even with BG Göttingen in eighth place after having won six of their last seven. Bamberg shot just 31.1 percent for the game, including 14.3 percent from long range as well as just 36.8 percent from the free throw line while Berlin made 11 three-pointers at a 45.8 percent clip. Christ Koumadje collected 14 points and 11 rebounds, Tamir Blatt had 13 points and 5 assists and Johannes Thiemann added 11 points for the winners. Christian Sengfelder was Bamberg’s leading scorer with 17 points and Akil Mitchell had 14 points.
Braunschweig beat Giessen to avoid drop, send Frankfurt to ProA
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig secured their spot in the first division in 2022-23 as they defeated JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 82-66 in a Round 19 make-up game on the road to send FRAPORT SKYLINERS to the ProA. Braunschweig lost an 11-point first quarter lead but gave up just nine points in the third quarter to take control of the game and improve to 11-19 and drop Giessen to 6-23 - though they still have chances to stay in the league. Braunschweig held the hosts to just 36.7 percent from the field including 17.9 percent on three-pointers. David Krämer paced Braunschweig with 14 points with Owen Klassen scoring 13 points and Nicholas Tischler chipping in 11 points. Kendale McCullum led all scorers with 19 points in the defeat.
Giessen end losing streak, stay alive in relegation fight
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers kept alive their chances of avoiding relegation as they fended off already-relegated FRAPORT SKYLINERS 76-75 on the road. Giessen pulled ahead by 11 points in the second quarter but Frankfurt stayed in the game and actually pulled ahead with 87 seconds left. But Giessen scored five straight points and survived to get the win, snapping a five-game losing streak for a 7-23 record while Frankfurt fell to 7-25. Giessen held Frankfurt to just 38.5 percent shooting including 19.4 percent from long range. Nuni Omot collected 25 points and 8 rebounds while Kendale McCullum tallied 21 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists in the win. Will Cherry scored 16 points and Matt Haarms had 14 points for Frankfurt.
Tadda layup extends Bonn win streak to 10 games
Telekom Baskets Bonn survived a fight over possible playoffs foe BG Göttingen with a 78-76 win at home with Karsten Tadda scoring the winning layup with 15 seconds left. Bonn played a strong first half, taking a 16-point lead late in the second quarter, but Göttingen used a 19-4 run in the third quarter to pull ahead. Bonn prevailed on Tadda’s heroics - and only points - to improve to 25-7 with a 10-game winning streak while Göttingen are clinging to eighth place in the standings with a 16-15 record after three consecutive losses. Bonn held Göttingen to just 39.4 percent from the field including 22.2 percent from long range. Javontae Hawkins scored 25 points for Bonn and Tyson Ward had 15 points. Stephen Brown paced Göttingen with 21 points and Harper Kamp scored 20 points.
Hamburg prove too strong for Bayern at home
Hamburg Towers showed their resilience as they fought off a comeback from FC Bayern Munich and won 87-83 at home. Hamburg started with a strong first quarter and built a 12-point lead and the advantage was 13 points in the second quarter. Bayern made it a game the entire second half until Caleb Homesley hit a big long three-pointer inside the final minute and Maik Kotsar’s two free throws made it a six-point game with 26 seconds left. Vladimir Lucic hit a three-pointer for Bayern but the deficit was too large and Hamburg grabbed their third straight win for an 18-13 record in seventh place and Bayern dropped to 22-8 in third place. Hamburg committed only 7 turnovers and held Bayern to 44.3 percent from the field including 25.0 percent from long range. Homesley ended with 22 points, Kotsar had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Robin Christen drained 5 three-pointers for 15 points. Deshaun Thomas scored 28 points with 9 rebounds in the loss.
Chemnitz lock up first playoffs spot in history in Round 17 make-up win
NINERS Chemnitz locked up their first appearance in the easyCredit BBL playoffs as they knocked off s.Oliver Würzburg 88-82 in a Round 17 make-up game at home. Würzburg built an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter but Chemnitz was leading midway through the third quarter by nine points. The hosts scored seven straight points in the fourth quarter and made all six free throws in the final 62 seconds for the win and a 20-10 record. Würzburg dropped to 12-18 as their seven-game winning steak came to an end. Chemnitz forced 19 Würzburg turnovers to lead to the win. Franz Massenatz scored 18 points with 10 assists to pace six players in double figures including Malte Ziegenhagen with 16 points. Cameron Hunt collected 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in the loss.
Ulm secure playoffs spot, Bayreuth drop 11th straight
ratiopharm ulm secured their spot in the post-season as they knocked off medi bayreuth 80-73 on the road to extend the hosts’ losing streak to 11 games. Ulm never trailed but the guests also never pulled away with the biggest lead being nine points. Terry Allen’s three-pointer made it a one-point game with 79 seconds but Ulm scored the final six points for their fifth straight win and a 20-10 record while Bayreuth fell to 11-21. Ulm out-shot Bayreuth 49.2 percent to 44.3 percent including 33.3 percent to 29.6 percent from long range. Jaron Blossomgame and Sindarius Thornwell both scored 19 points and Semaj Christon added 16 points and 6 assists. Allen finished with 27 points in the loss while Marcus Thornton had 14 points and Andreas Seiferth scored 12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTTImYbVW7g.
Late run gives Würzburg home win over MBC
s.Oliver Würzburg shrugged off a nightmare start and finished the game with a 7-0 run to book a 92-86 home win over SYNTAINICS MBC. The guests raced ahead 16-0 in the first quarter but Würzburg eventually went ahead in the fourth quarter. Charles Callison grabbed two steals in the final nine seconds as Würzburg improved to 13-18 while MBC have lost four straight and still can be dropped with a 10-22 record. Würzburg converted 18-of-25 free throws to 11-of-15 for MBC, who also only shot 35.5 percent from long range. Desi Rodriguez paced the winners with 21 points while Will Buford scored 18 points and Callison and Luciano Parodi combined for 9 points, 15 assists and 4 steals. Nikola Rebic had 19 points for MBC, who also saw John Bryant pick up 9 points and 13 rebounds.
Oldenburg officially out of danger of drop after win at Heidelberg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg successfully turned around their season as they knocked off MLP Academics Heidelberg 95-90 on the road to officially avoid relegation. Heidelberg broke the game open with a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter but Oldenburg used a 21-3 run to pull ahead and gave up just two points in the final two minutes for a 12-20 record while Heidelberg fell to 11-20. Oldenburg shot 63.4 percent on two-pointers compared to 54.4 percent for Heidelberg. Phil Pressey collected 15 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists to pace six Oldenburg players in double figures. Reggie Lynch also scored 15 points and Michal Michalak added 13 points and 7 rebounds. Shyron Ely led all scorers with 20 points and Jordan Geist had 17 points and 8 rebounds.
Ludwigsburg waste 19-point lead, hold on to beat Crailsheim
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg wasted a 19-point lead but held on to knock off HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 77-75 at home to stay in the race for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Ludwigsburg dominated the second quarter and built a 19-point lead but watched as Crailsheim just chipped away and evened the game with 89 seconds remaining. But the hosts held Crailsheim scoreless for the final two possessions and Ethan Happ made two free throws with 10 seconds left to win for a 21-9 record in fourth place with Crailsheim dropping their second straight for a 15-15 record. Ludwigsburg forced only 8 turnovers but held Crailsheim to just 38.5 percent from the field including 41.5 percent on two-pointers. Jonah Radebaugh led the way with 21 points and Rawle Alkins had 18 points. Fabian Bleck paced Crailsheim with 20 points, Mike Caffey scored 12 points and Jaren Lewis collected 11 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
Braunschweig deliver blow to Chemnitz’s home court playoff chances
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig knocked off NINERS Chemnitz 77-68 on the road to deliver a blow to the hosts’ chances of hosting a first round playoffs series. Chemnitz took control of the game early in the second quarter and built a 15-point lead. Braunschweig fought back into the game and then took the fourth quarter 24-11 for their second straight win and a 12-19 record while Chemnitz dropped to 20-11 and sixth place. Braunschweig forced 25 turnovers to make up for their own 21 turnovers and held Chemnitz to just 39.3 percent on two-pointers. Martin Peterka scored 14 points to lead the winners with David Krämer and Luc van Slooten both picking up 11 points and Ondrej Sehnal chipping in 10 points and 9 assists. Isiaha Mike led all scorers with 17 points and Nelson Weidemann scored 11 points in a losing effort.
Crailsheim guard TJ Shorts named Offensive Player of season
With the regular season nearing its end, it’s time to announce the winners of the season awards. TJ Shorts of HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim was named the league’s Offensive Player of the season, meaning Crailsheim had the top offensive weapon for a second straight season after Trae Bell-Haynes won the award last season. Shorts received 29.27 percent of the votes by head coaches, team captains and selected media members. BG Göttingen’s Kamar Baldwin took second place with 23.17 percent of the vote and Parker Jackson-Cartwright of Telekom Baskets Bonn placed third with 15.85 percent of the vote.
Ludwigsburg stopper Justin Simon awarded as Defensive Player of season
Justin Simon of MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg also had reason to celebrate an individual award as he was named the Defensive Player of the season. Simon received 34.57 percent of the vote by head coaches, team captains and selected media members. Nick Weiler-Babb of FC Bayern Munich was second with 16.05 percent of the vote and Hamburg Towers’ Max DiLeo received 8.64 percent of the vote for third place.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week for Round 32 goes to Terry Allen of medi bayreuth for his performance in the team’s loss to ratiopharm ulm. The forward scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shots and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 28.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Malte Delow, ALBA BERLIN
Delow played his way onto the Top Five with two strong showings for the reigning champs. The guard, who turned 21 years old this week, had 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in a Round 12 win over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and then picked up 9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block against Brose Bamberg.
F: Fabian Bleck, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
The Crailsheim captain had a strong week - even though the team lost both games. Bleck tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in a Round 12 loss to ALBA BERLIN and scored a season-high 20 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the loss to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
F: Robin Christen, Hamburg Towers
Christen drained 5-of-7 three-pointers in scoring 15 points to go with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in Hamburg’s win over FC Bayern Munich.
F: Jonas Richter, NINERS Chemnitz
Richter played a major role in Chemnitz locking up a playoffs spot as he collected 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals against s.Oliver Würzburg and then picked up 9 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist versus Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
C: Andreas Seiferth, medi bayreuth
Seifereth is having a strong close to his injury-filled season as he tallied 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in a loss to ratiopharm ulm.
Young Guns
Luc van Slooten, 20, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
van Slooten just turned 20 years old and helped Braunschweig to two wins - and staying in the league. He had 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting (1/4 threes), 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 17:51 minutes against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers. In the win over NINERS Chemnitz, van Slooten picked up 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting (2/6 threes) and 3-of-4 free throws, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in 22:45 minutes.
Kay Bruhnke, 20, SG, medi bayreuth
Bruhnke collected 4 points on 1-of-2 shooting and 2-of-3 free throws, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 18:44 minutes of a loss to ratiopharm ulm.
Jacob Patrick, 18, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Patrick picked up 4 points on 2-of-6 shots (0/3 threes), 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 17:52 minutes against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
Tischlers Watch
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig had a strong week with two victories - both of which saw the Tischler twins Nicholas and Brandon play solid roles. In the win over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers, Nicholas started and played 25:07 minutes, collecting 11 points on 5-of-7 shots (1/1 threes), 4 rebounds and 1 assist. He then had 7 points on 2-of-5 shots (2/3 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 25:31 minutes as a starter against NINERS Chemnitz. Brandon scored 6 points on 1-of-3 shooting and 4-of-4 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks in 18:53 minutes off the bench against Giessen. He chipped in 6 points on 1-of-3 shooting (0/1 threes) and 4-of-6 free throws, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 22:27 minutes against Chemnitz.
Germans Abroad
German clubs had a great week in the post-season of European club competitions. FC Bayern picked up a 90-75 victory at FC Barcelona to steal home court advantage in their best-of-five playoffs in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a spot in the Final Four at stake. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg did book their ticket to the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League by beating U-BT Cluj Napoca 79-73 in the decisive Game 3 of their playoffs. And ratiopharm ulm surprised top seeded Joventut Badalona 79-73 in the Eighthfinals of the 7DAYS EuroCup to set up a Quarterfinals showdown on Tuesday, April 26 at Virtus Segafredo Bologna.
