FC Bayern Munich were boosted by the season debut of team captain Vladimir Lucic in grabbing a big win over reigning champions ratiopharm ulm. The team that Ulm beat in the German BBL Cup Quarter-Finals, NINERS Chemnitz bounced back and extended their winning streak to 10 games to remain in first place in the league. ALBA BERLIN kept pace with the leading teams thanks to another impressive showing from world champion Johannes Thiemann.
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:
Bayern pull away in fourth to down Ulm in Lucic season debut
FC Bayern Munich had a good Round 11 as they knocked off reigning champions ratiopharm ulm 95-80 at home for their third straight win and also saw their team captain Vladimir Lucic make his season debut. Bayern led for most of the game but Ulm managed to pull ahead early in the fourth quarter before Bayern went on a 23-4 run to decide the game. With the win, Bayern jumped to 7-3 but are will one game behind 8-2 Ulm. Bayern committed only 9 turnovers and made 17-of-21 free throws compared to 9 free throws made by Ulm. Leandro Bolmaro scored 19 points for Bayern with Carsen Edwards and Isaac Bonga both picking up 15 points. Lucic finished with 8 points and 1 rebound in 10 minutes of action. Georginho de Paula came off the bench to lead Ulm with 18 points, LJ Figueroa had 17 points and Juan Nunez contributed 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Chemnitz blow out Heidelberg for 10th straight win, bounce back from cup loss
NINERS Chemnitz bounced back from their loss to ratiopharm ulm in the German Cup Quarter-Finals to roll past MLP Academics Heidelberg 93-69 for their 10th straight win in the league. Chemnitz took control of the game with a 28-14 second quarter to roll to a 10-1 record while Heidelberg have lost three straight for a 2-9 record. Chemnitz shot 53.7 percent for the game including 65.9 percent on two-pointers and held Heidelberg to 38.8 percent from the floor. Chemnitz also dominated the glass 49-26 including 15 offensive rebounds, which they turned into a 19-5 advantage in second chance points. All five Chemnitz starters scored in double figures, led by Wes van Beck with 17 points while Kevin Yebo collected 17 points and 12 rebounds and Kaza Kajami-Keane came off the bench for 14 points and 8 assists. Vincent Kesteloot led Heidelberg with 15 points.
Thiemann in World Cup form, helps Berlin run away late from Oldenburg
ALBA BERLIN did their job to keep pace with the leaders in the standings with a 90-85 victory at EWE Baskets Oldenburg over a team that is reeling with a five-game losing streak. Despite missing Alen Pjanic, Brekkott Chapman, Deane Williams, Charles Manning Jr. and Max DiLeo, Oldenburg led for most of the game and built a 13-point lead with 6 minutes left. Berlin finished the games with a 20-2 run as they hit four three-pointers and then Matteo Spagnolo scored the final 6 points. Berlin moved to 7-3 but Oldenburg are still reeling with a 5-6 record. Berlin outshot Oldenburg 42.3 percent to 32.1 on three-pointers and committed only 12 turnovers to 18 for Oldenburg. Johannes Thiemann has been great all season and he produced once again with 24 points to lead Berlin with Matt Thomas chipping in 20 points and 6 rebounds and Spagnolo and Sterling Brown combining for 15 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals. Len Schoormann poured in 20 points - two points shy of his career high - to lead Oldenburg, who also had DeWayne Russell score 19 points and Geno Grandall (18 points, 12 assists) and Norris Agbakoko (10 points and 12 rebounds) both collected double-doubles.
Würzburg get offensive explosion to breeze by Bonn
Würzburg Baskets came into the game with Telekom Baskets Bonn with the number one defense but their offense carried them this time with a 97-78 home victory for the most points scored this season. Würzburg set the tone with 34-16 first quarter and never looked back in winning their third straight and fourth in the last five games for a 6-4 mark while Bonn lost their second straight in the league - plus the German BBL Cup Quater-Finals defeat to FC Bayern Munich - for a 7-5 record. Würzburg buried 15 three-pointers and also shot 63.3 percent on two-pointers. The hosts also held Bonn to just 43.1 percent shooting including 30.0 percent from long range. Otis Livingston led the attack with 21 points and 7 assists with Isaiah Washington and Javon Bess both hitting 4 three-pointers in scoring 14 points. Noah Kirkwood led Bonn with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Braunschweig snap 4-game losing skid, get revenge on Bonn
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig snapped a four-game losing streak by registering an 80-76 road win over Telekom Baskets Bonn just 10 days after losing 102-94 at home to Bonn. Bonn led by 10 points in the second and third quarters but the game went back and forth in the final frame. Brian Fobbs converted a three-point play to make it 76-75 for Bonn, but Ahmaad Rorie answered with a three-pointer and sealed the game with two free throws with 12 seconds to go. Braunschweig, who were playing without leading scorer TJ Crockett, jumped to 4-7 and Bonn fell to 7-4 in seeing their four-game winning streak end. Braunschweig were able to get easy buckets with a 20-10 advantage in fast break points while forcing 18 Bonn turnovers. Rorie paced Braunschweig with 27 points and 5 assists and Ferdinand Zylka added 15 points and 4 steals. Noah Kirkwood was Bonn’s top scorer with 16 points off the bench while the starting five combined for only 24 points.
Wolves survive 23 turnovers, beat Ludwigsburg to keep close to play-in ranks
SYNTAINICS MBC stayed close to the play-in ranks as they wasted a double-digit lead but still defeated MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 81-78 on the road. The guests had a big second quarter and built a 14 point lead and they were still 12 points up midway through the third quarter. Ludwigsburg managed to take the lead in the final frame but scored just 2 points in the final 2 minutes. SYNTAINICS MBC moved to 4-7 and Ludwigsburg are now 7-4. SYNTAINICS MBC survived committing 23 turnovers as they held Ludwigsburg to just 36.8 percent shooting including 28.1 percent from long range. Martin Breunig and Johnathan Stove both scored 17 points and combined for 12 rebounds and Charles Callison had 14 points for the winners. Jayvon Graves was Ludwigsburg’s leading scorer with 17 points and Desure Buie added 11 points and 10 assists in the loss.
Hamburg roll continues, come back to beat Tübingen
Veolia Towers Hamburg are one of the hottest teams in the league as they continued their recent surge with a 94-86 come-from-behind home victory over Tigers Tübingen. Tübingen took over midway through the second quarter and built a 13-point lead in the third quarter. Hamburg went on a 33-4 run and Lukas Meisner and Will Christmas hit dagger threes in the final 70 seconds. Hamburg have won six of their last seven for a 7-4 record while Tübingen dropped to 3-8. Hamburg shot 53.3 percent for the game, including 67.7 percent on two-pointers leading to a 42-22 advantage in points in the paint. Christmas scored 21 points while Meisner had 16 points and 5 rebounds and Aljami Durham collected 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Erol Ersek led Tübingen in scoring with a career-high 19 points, followed by Jhivvan Jackson with 17 points and Mateo Seric with 16 points.
Vechta snap losing streak with second road win, Göttingen still struggling
RASTA Vechta ended a three-game losing streak thanks to a strong Tommy Kuhse win a 90-86 road victory over BG Göttingen, who cannot find a winning way. The game was back and forth for the most time with 13 lead changes and 11 ties. Göttingen briefly had a 10 point lead late in the first half but trailed midway through the third quarter. Down 86-85, Wes Iwundu hit a big three-pointer with 49 seconds remaining for the guests and Tommy Kuhse iced the game with a jumper with 8 seconds left. Vechta moved to 7-4 with their second road win and Göttingen are still mired just outside the relegation zone at 2-8. Vechta out-rebounded Göttingen 35-27 including a 14-5 advantage in offensive rebounds, that led to 13 more shots for the guests. Kuhse finished with 25 points and 8 assists, Joschka Ferner drained 5 three-pointers for a career-high 19 points and Chip Flanigan collected 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals. Karlis Silins scored 21 points in the losing effort and Zach Ensminger picked up 13 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.
Alston, Goodwin combine for 44 points as Rostock remain strong at home
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES remained a power at home as they used a big first quarter to defeat Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 101-78 for a 4-1 record in the StadtHalle Rostock. Rostock took the first quarter 32-16 and Braunschweig were never able to challenge the rest of the way. The hosts moved to 5-6 overall and Braunschweig dropped to 4-8. Rostock committed only 9 turnovers and held Braunschweig to just 29.4 percent from long range. Derrick Alston scored 23 points as Rostock’s main weapon with Chevez Goodwin scoring 21 points and Eric Lockett chipping in 15 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Jilson Bango came off the Braunschweig bench to lead the team in scoring with 14 points and Ferdinand Zylka and Ahmaad Rorie both scored 12 points.
Bamberg fend off Crailsheim comeback, finding winning consistency
Bamberg Baskets have started to find some winning consistency as they fought off a comeback attempt from HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim to grab a 97-87 home victory, keeping the guests winless on the road. Bamberg led by 10 points after 10 minutes and built the lead to 22 before the guests pulled within 4 points with 56 seconds to go. Zach Copeland made four free throws and converted a layup after a Crailsheim turnover to decide the game. Bamberg have won three of their last four league games to jump to 5-6 as well as their thrilling German BBL Cup Quarter-Finals win over RASTA Vechta. Crailsheim could not build on their win last week, which snapped an 8-game losing streak and fell to 2-9 with an 0-6 mark on the road. Bamberg shot 55.9 percent for the game including 65.7 percent on two-pointers as they out-scored Crailsheim 46-26 in the paint. Copeland led the way with 18 points and 9 assists off the bench for Bamberg with Filip Stanic chipping in 16 points and 6 rebounds and Karsten Tadda made 4 three-pointers for 12 points. Brandon Childress was Crailsheim’s top scorer with 27 points and 6 assists and James Murray-Boyles and Keandre Cook combined for 34 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
Bayern Coach Laso fights back tears in return to Madrid
There was a special moment for FC Bayern Munich head coach Pablo Laso in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game this past week as the Spanish playcaller had to fight off tears in his return to Real Madrid. Laso coached Real from 2011 to 2022 and twice won the EuroLeague in 2015 and 2018.
Player of the Week
Würzburg Baskets produced a strong home victory over Telekom Baskets Bonn and Otis Livingston earned Player of the Week honors due to his performance. The guard scored 21 points on a 7-of-8 shots and 4-of-5 free throws to go with 1 rebound, 7 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 27.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Zach Ensminger, BG Göttingen
Ensminger did all he could against RASTA Vechta but his 13 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals were not enough.
G: Ferdinand Zylka, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Zylka had two strong games for Braunschweig, picking up 15 points with 3 three-pointers, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals against Telekom Baskets Bonn and 12 points with 3 triples, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal versus ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES.
F: Joschka Ferner, RASTA Vechta
Ferner drained 5 three-pointers in scoring a career-high 19 points to go with 4 rebounds and 1 assist against BG Göttingen.
F: Johannes Thiemann, ALBA BERLIN
Thiemann has been great all season and he was needed in the win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
C: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo was a force for Chemnitz against MLP Academics Heidelberg with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Young Guns
Leo Schoormann, 21, SG, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann really deserved a spot in the German Top Five but there was so much competition and it was easier to put him here in the Young Guns. The guard poured in 20 points on 7-of-13 shots (3/6 threes) and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 34:29 minutes against ALBA BERLIN. He was two points off his career high.
Sananda Fru, 20, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Fru had two solid games this week starting with 9 points on 3-of-4 shots (0/1 threes) and 3-of-4 free throws, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 19:17 minutes in a win over Telekom Baskets Bonn. Fru then picked up 8 points on 4-of-4 shots but 0-of-4 on free throws to go with 6 rebounds and 1 block in 18:02 minutes against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES.
Elias Baggette, 21, PG, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Baggette went scoreless with two missed shots in 14:58 minutes against his former club Bamberg Baskets, but the point guard grabbed 1 rebound, dished out 5 assists and swiped 2 steals.
Germans Abroad
Dennis Schröder reached a major milestone in the NBA as the German point guard eclipsed the 10,000 point total in Toronto’s win against Atlanta. Schröder became the third German to score 10,000 points in the NBA after Detlef Schrempf (15,761) and Dirk Nowitzki (31,560). The 30-year-old Schröder is in his 11th season in the NBA while Schrempf played 15 years in the league and Nowitzki had 21 years of NBA stardom.
RelatedNews
Nachberichte
Von +22 auf +4: Crailsheimer Aufholjagd von Bamberg gestoppt / Merlins warten weiter auf ersten Auswärtssieg
Nachberichte
Trotz 23 Ballverlusten zum 81:78-Sieg: SYNTAINICS MBC stoppt Ludwigsburger Lauf
Nationalmannschaft
