The biggest talking point of the week was ratiopharm ulm wasting a 30-point lead but then still ending up winning in overtime in a showdown of likely playoffs teams. The week also saw Stanley Whittaker light it up for 37 points in a big win for Würzburg Baskets and medi bayreuth showed more life with their first back-to-back wins of the season.
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:
Ulm waste 30-point lead, finish off Göttingen in overtime
ratiopharm ulm and BG Göttingen gave easyCredit BBL fans a wild ride as Ulm wasted a 30-point lead but managed to finish the deal in overtime, 108-101 on the road in a battle of teams in the playoffs ranks. Ulm took over the game in the third quarter and built a 30-point lead but then collapsed as Göttingen rallied with a 31-4 run to get within three points and Harald Frey’s three-point play with 23 seconds to play sent the game to overtime. The hosts took the lead in extra session but Tommy Klepeisz and Brandon Paul hit back-to-back triples in an 8-2 spurt to get Ulm to 14-11. Göttingen fell to 14-9 after having won four of five games. Ulm shot 67.7 percent on 2-pointers and kept Göttingen to 46.0 percent from the field. Yago dos Santos paced Ulm with 24 points and 6 assists, Joshua Hawley had 21 points and Juan Nunez chipped in 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Javon Bess hit 5 three-pointers in scoring 24 points for Göttingen with Frey picking up 17 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists and Mark Smith collected 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Göttingen add wing Edwards for final stretch, playoffs
BG Göttingen added reinforcements on the wing for the final stretch of the season and the playoffs with the signing of Rob Edwards. The 26-year-old American will be making his debut in Europe after playing in the NBA G-League after finishing college.
More life thanks to three-pointers: Bayreuth win second straight for first time
medi bayreuth may just save themselves after all, at least they showed life once again, using a barrage of three-pointers to beat SYNTAINICS MBC 95-84 at home to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Bayreuth had double-digit leads numerous times in the first three quarters but led by just one point early in the fourth period. The hosts reeled off a 12-3 surge to take control and move to 5-20 - one win behind FRAPORT SKYLINERS and two behind Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with a game in hand on both. SYNTAINICS MBC lost a fifth straight to drop to 9-17. Bayreuth made 14-of-24 three-pointers (58.3 percent) and had a 17-4 advantage in fast break points. Otis Livingston was outstanding for Bayreuth with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 steals while Ahmed Hill had 19 points in the win. Kris Clyburn led the guests with 22 points and 8 rebounds with Martin Breunig chipping in 18 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
Whittaker’s 37 points carry Würzburg past Bamberg in overtime.
Würzburg Baskets took a big step towards reaching the playoffs in rallying to beat Brose Bamberg 106-99 on the road in overtime and also clinch the tiebreaker over their Franconian rivals. Bamberg led by 12 points midway through the third quarter and the cushion was 7 points with less than 2 minutes to play before Würzburg scored the final seven points to send the game to overtime. The guests finished the game with a 9-2 run - including a three-point play by Stanley Whittaker in the closing seconds to take the head-to-head over Bamberg - to move to 14-12 with Bamberg dropping to 13-14. Würzburg committed only 11 turnovers and shot 68.4 percent on 2-pointers. Whittaker poured in 37 points and also had 4 rebounds and 6 assists and Filip Stanic picked up 16 points and 6 rebounds. Patrick Miller scored 22 points and had 5 assists and Christian Sengfelder had 19 points in the loss.
Bamberg sign Devon Thomas as Amir Bell replacement
Brose Bamberg have found their replacement for Amir Bell as they signed Devon Thomas until the end of the season to help out at point guard. The 28-year-old Thomas comes to Bamberg after playing this season with Lahti Basketball in Finland, where he averaged 17.9 points and 4.4 assists per game.
Bayern put away slumping Ludwigsburg late, win fifth straight
FC Bayern Munich moved closer to locking up third place in the league as they put away late slumping MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 89-72 at home for a fifth straight win. Bayern had a 10 point lead midway through the third quarter but only took control of the game with a 13-2 close to move to 19-6 and Ludwigsburg fell to 15-11 after a fourth consecutive loss. Bayern out-shot Ludwigsburg 52.8 percent to 37.3 percent and made 21-of-28 free throws compared to 10-of-11. Nick Weiler-Babb came off the bench to do it all for Bayern against his former team with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Corey Walden had 16 points and Zylan Cheatham added 12 points in the win. Jhonathan Dunn paced Ludwigsburg with 20 points and Tommy Kuhse had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
Bonn keep Ludwigsburg struggles going, win Round 18 makeup
Telekom Baskets Bonn extended their winning streak to 10 games as they defeated MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 91-75 at home in a Round 18 make-up. The game was close for 28 minutes until Bonn raced away with an 18-0 run to move to 23-2 with Ludwigsburg dropping to 15-10 after a three-game losing streak. Bonn shot 66.7 percent on 2-pointers and had 46 points in the paint to 14 for Ludwigsburg, which made only 43.6 percent from the field. TJ Shorts led the way with 16 points and 5 assists, Leon Kratzer picked up 16 points and 5 rebounds and Javontae Hawkins added 15 points and 5 rebounds in the win. Jacob Patrick paced Ludwigsburg with a season high 14 points and Prentiss Hubb had 12 points and 5 assists.
Bonn too much for Hamburg, win streak at 11 games
Telekom Baskets Bonn just keep rolling as they pulled away for a 76-66 home victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg to extend their winning streak to 11 games. Bonn led for nearly the entire game but only took control late in the third quarter and went on to a 24-2 record and Hamburg fell to 9-17. Bonn dominated inside with 40 points in the paint to 18 for Hamburg while shooting 62.5 percent on 2-pointers and holding Hamburg to 41.0 percent from close range. TJ Shorts tallied 21 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals and Javontae Hawkins had 13 points. Ryan Taylor paced Hamburg with 17 points off the bench.
Rostock still can dream of playoffs, Chemnitz continue free fall
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES can still dream about the playoffs as they prevailed in a tough fight over NINERS Chemnitz 71-69 on the road with the hosts losing their eighth straight game. The game was close throughout with 7 points being the biggest lead and 5 lead changes and 7 ties. Down by 1 point with under 4 minutes left, Tyler Nelson drained 2 three-pointers in an 8-0 run to give Rostock their third win in the last four games to move to 13-13 and Chemnitz fell to 10-15. Rostock held Chemnitz to just 34.9 percent shooting and the hosts missed 8 free throws. Nelson finished as top scorer for Rostock with 16 points and JeQuan Lewis collected 13 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Nelson Weidemann, Jonas Richter, Mindaugas Susinskas and Kevin Yebo all scored 12 points in the loss.
Crailsheim get 30 from Batemon in big win over Braunschweig
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim earned a crucial victory in their fight against relegation by knocking off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 93-88 at home thanks to 30 points from James Batemon. Crailsheim went up by 11 points in the second quarter but trailed in the third period. In the end, Crailsheim made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 27 seconds to jump to 9-17. Braunschweig have dropped two straight and are 7-19. Crailsheim shot 58.0 percent for the game and made 30-of-35 free throws compared to just 8-of-8 foul shots for Braunschweig. Besides Batemon’s production off the bench, Edon Maxhuni had 19 points and 4 assists and Jaren Lewis contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. David Krämer had 28 points and 6 rebonds for Braunschweig with Divine Myles picking up 24 points and 9 assists in the loss.
Braunschweig sign R.J. Cole to replace injured Hobbs
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig reacted to the season-ending injury to Braydon Hobbs and signed playmaker R.J. Cole to help stave off relegation. The 23-year-old American comes to Germany after playing this season with Greek top flight side Lavrio.
Heidelberg don’t give Oldenburg chance, get revenge for cup defeat
MLP Academics Heidelberg got revenge for their German Cup defeat to EWE Baskets Oldenburg as they cruised to a 99-75 road win in a battle highlighted by two of the top scorers Eric Washington of Heidelberg and Oldenburg’s DeWayne Russell. Heidelberg, who had assistant coach Hylke van der Zweep coaching instead of Joonas Iisalo, led by 9 points after 10 minutes and never looked back in grabbing a second win in a row for a 10-16 mark and Oldenburg lost back-to-back games for the first time this season for a 16-9 record. Heidelberg shot 54.0 percent for the game, including 51.7 percent from long range and committed just 11 turnovers. Tim Coleman and Jack McVeigh both scored 19 points and Max Ugrai had 13 points off the bench while Washington tallied 12 points on just 9 shots but added 4 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals. Russell shot just 6-of-16 in scoring 18 points and the rest of Oldenburg’s starters combined for just 22 points.
Balanced Berlin fly past Frankfurt
ALBA BERLIN’s depth and balance were way too much for FRAPORT SKYLINERS with a comfortable 79-61 road victory. Berlin took a double digit lead already in the first quarter and Frankfurt could not get back into the game. The reigning champs have won five in a row and are 23-2 while Frankfurt dropped to 6-20. Berlin’s defense held Frankfurt to just 19.1 percent from long range. Yanni Wetzell paced Berlin with 16 points and 6 rebounds, Johannes Thiemann collected 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Jonas Mattisseck and Louis Olinde both scored 11 points. Isaiah Washington and Derek Cooke both scored 13 points in the loss.
Player of the Week
Stanley Whittaker takes Player of the Week honors for Round 26 for his fantastic performance against Brose Bamberg. In helping Würzburg get the win, Whittaker scored 37 points on 16-of-22 shots - including 3-of-4 three-pointers - and 2-of-6 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 37.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst returns to the team for his solid outing in Bayern’s win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Krämer came off the bench against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and buried 6 three-pointers in scoring 28 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
F: Johannes Thiemann, ALBA BERLIN
Thiemann had an excellent all-around game in Berlin’s win over FRAPORT SKYLINERS with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
C: Filip Stanic, Würzburg Baskets
Stanic helped Würzburg knock off Brose Bamberg with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block.
C: Leon Kratzer, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Kratzer played in two games and earned his spot on this team with his showing against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg in Round 18 with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block. Versus Veolia Towers Hamburg he chipped in 5 points and 5 rebounds.
Young Guns
Jacob Patrick, 19, SG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Patrick scored a season-high 14 points against Telekom Baskets Bonn in Round 18 as he made 4-of-6 shots (3/5 threes) and 3-of-3 free throws to go along with 2 rebounds in 20:06 minutes. Against FC Bayern Munich, the 19-year-old scored 3 points on 1-of-4 shooting (1/3 threes) in 13:18 minutes.
Kay Bruhnke, 21, PF, medi bayreuth
In 12:31 minutes of action, Bruhnke scored 9 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from long range - including two triples in the big late run to help Bayreuth beat SYNTAINICS MBC.
Radii Caisin, 22, SG, SYNTAINICS MBC
Caisin only scored 1 point on 0-of-2 shooting (0/1 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws but he chipped in 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 13:13 minutes against medi bayreuth.
Germans Abroad
Justus Hollatz put up his second-best scoring game of the season in the Spanish ACB, pouring in 14 points to go with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a loss to Joventut Badalona. The 21-year-old is averaging 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 23 minutes per game for Rio Breogan. Hollatz tallied a season-high 16 points against FC Barcelona on December 11.
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