ALBA BERLIN and Telekom Baskets Bonn became the first two teams to lock up spots in the 2022-23 playoffs with hard-fought victories. Wins had been hard to come by for medi bayreuth, who finally celebrated again to snap an 11-game losing streak with a sign of life. Till Pape for his part set career highs in points and rebounds as BG Göttingen look to challenge for home court advantage.
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:
Third quarter run enough: Berlin beat Bamberg, book playoffs ticket
ALBA BERLIN locked up their spot in the playoffs as they used a big third quarter in an 84-67 victory at home over Brose Bamberg. The guests led for most of the game in the first 23 minutes but never pulled away. Berlin took control with a 23-5 close to the third quarter for a 22-2 record and their fourth straight win. Berlin shot 50.0 percent from the field and made 15-of-18 free throws compared to 38.2 percent shooting and just 5-of-7 foul shots for Bamberg. Yann Wetzell led Berlin with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Gabriele Procida and Jaleen Smith both chipped in 16 points. Patrick Miller topped all scorers with 23 points to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.
Shorts late-game heroics save Bonn over Chemnitz, seal playoffs spot
Telekom Baskets Bonn rallied from a big deficit to defeat NINERS Chemnitz 81-79 on the road and secure a spot in the playoffs thanks to TJ Shorts’ late-game heroics. Chemnitz raced away to a 17-point lead in the second quarter but found the game tied early in the second half. The hosts led 8 points early in the fourth quarter but Shorts scored three baskets in the final 105 seconds, including the game winner with 19 seconds to go. Bonn extended their winning streak to nine games for a 22-2 record while Chemnitz have dropped seven straight to fall to 10-14. Bonn committed only 11 turnovers and shot 69.2 percent on 2-pointers to make up for shooting just 20.8 percent from long range while holding Chemnitz to 39.7 percent from the field. Shorts came up big for Bonn all game with 23 points and 8 assists, Sebastian Herrera scored 12 points and Leon Kratzer added 10 points. Wes Clark led Chemnitz with 16 points and Kevin Yebo had 12 points in the loss.
German trio carries Bamberg past Chemnitz in Round 31 game
Brose Bamberg got a strong performance from a trio of Germans in beating NINERS Chemnitz 95-83 at home in a Round 31 game, which the winners dedicated to injured guard Amir Bell. Bamberg took over the game in the third quarter and won their sixth game in the last seven for a 13-12 record with Chemnitz falling to 10-13 after a sixth straight loss. Chemnitz shot just 36.3 percent for the game including 25.6 percent from long range. Gerel Simmons paced Bamberg with 17 points off the bench while Christian Sengfelder had 15 points, Kevin Wohlrath and Patrick Heckmann both scored 14 points and Gabriel Chachashvili collected 13 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Bamberg’s injury concerns continued as Spencer Reaves went down early in the game and could not return. Kevin Yebo had a double-double of his own for Chemnitz with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Wes Clark chipped in 19 points off the bench.
Bayreuth show sign of life, beat Oldenburg to snap 11-game skid
medi bayreuth showed a sign of life in their fight against relegation as they defeated EWE Baskets Oldenburg 85-75 at home to end an 11-game losing streak. In a game which saw head coach Mladen Drijencic earn his first win for Bayreuth against his former team, neither team could pull away in the first 25 minutes until Oldenburg opened a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. Bayreuth fought back and closed the game on a 13-6 spurt. The win gives last placed Bayreuth a 4-20 record, still two wins behind FRAPORT SKYLINERS with a game in hand. Oldenburg saw their three-game winning streak snapped to fall to 16-8. Bayreuth blocked 8 shots and limited Oldenburg to just 39.2 percent shooting including 21.4 percent on three-pointers. Brandon Childress poured in 26 points with 6 rebounds and Otis Livingston and Jackson Rowe both scored 14 points and combined for 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 steals and 3 blocks. DeWayne Russell led Oldenburg with 22 points and 6 assists and Owen Klassen collected a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Hamburg fight off Frankfurt for big win in relegation battle
Veolia Towers Hamburg earned a major victory in their fight to stave off relegation as they defeated FRAPORT SKYLINERS 84-70 at home to snap a three-game losing streak. Hamburg built a 12-point lead after 10 minutes but trailed late in the second quarter before then taking the final quarter 24-14 to improve to 9-16 with Frankfurt falling to 6-19. Hamburg shot 59.3 percent for the game including 52.2 percent from long range and controlled the rebounding 36-27. Anthony Polite scored 24 points to lead Hamburg and Yoeli Childs had 21 points and 8 rebounds and Ziga Samar chipped in 8 points and 11 assists. Isaiah Washington paced Frankfurt with 18 points and Lukas Wank and Marcus Lewis both had 14 points.
Ulm nearly waste big lead, earn big win over Ludwigsburg in playoff fight
ratiopharm ulm earned a big win in their fight to lock up a spot in the playoffs as they defeated MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 93-76 at home to continue their strong momentum. Ulm built a 17-point lead late in the first quarter and saw Ludwigsburg pull within 1 point with 7 minutes left. But the hosts finished the game on an 18-6 run to move to 13-11 with seven wins in the last nine games and Ludwigsburg fall to 15-9. Ulm contained Ludwigsburg’s offense to just 39.4 percent shooting. Yago dos Santos did it all with 26 points on 4 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Bruno Caboclo had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jhonathan Dunn led Ludwigsburg with 16 points and Eddy Edigin picked up 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Göttingen, strong Pape continue surge, put pressure on Oldenburg
BG Göttingen continued to play winning basketball as they knocked off SYNTAINICS MBC 93-82 to apply more pressure on EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the race for the final home court advantage spot. Göttingen led by 11 points after 10 minutes and never looked back for their fourth win in the last five games for a 14-8 record and fifth place, two games behind Oldenburg and two games in hand. SYNTAINICS MBC lost their fourth straight to fall to 8-16 and likely out of the playoffs race. The Wolfpack shot 54.6 percent for the game but committed 23 turnovers. Till Pape had his best night as a professional, setting career highs with 24 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Geno Crandall collected 16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals and Javon Bass added 16 points. Kris Clyburn led the hosts in scoring with 17 points and Kostja Mushidi scored 13 points.
Würzburg rally to win in Rostock in battle of playoff contenders
Würzburg Baskets rallied from a poor first half to defeat ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 76-72 on the road in a battle of teams fighting to make the playoffs. Rostock dominated the start of the game and opened a 16-point lead early in the second quarter. The lead was gone early in the second half and Würzburg led most of the final frame, Cameron Hunt making 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the win. Würzburg are now 13-2 and Rostock at 12-13 as both teams still are fighting for the playoffs. Würzburg held Rostock to just 40.6 percent on two-pointers. Stanley Whittaker paced Würzburg with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Cameron Hunt added 22 points. Tyler Nelson and Sid-Marlon Theis scored 14 points in a losing effort.
Rostock extend deal with head coach Christian Held
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES have just about secured their spot next season in the easyCredit BBL and the club decided to extend their contract with head coach Christian Held for another season until the end of the 2023-24 campaign. The 34-year-old Held, who arrived at the club in 2020, last season guided the club to promotion for their first year in Germany’s top flight.
Bayern roll on, keep Braunschweig under relegation pressure
FC Bayern Munich rolled on with their fourth straight victory as they beat Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 74-63 on the road to keep the hosts under pressure of relegation. Bayern led by 11 points in the first quarter but Braunschweig fought back and led at halftime. Bayern finally regained control in the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run over 3 minutes for an 18-6 record and Braunschweig are at 7-18. Bayern’s defense held Braunschweig to just 33.9 percent shooting and made 52.8 percent their shots. Nick Weiler-Babb led Bayern with 19 points and Andi Obst added 15 points. Dustin Sleva tallied 19 points and 9 rebounds off the bench and Divine Myles scored 18 points but the rest of the starters combined for just 11 points.
Heidelberg gain breathing room from relegation after beating Crailsheim
MLP Academics Heidelberg gained a little breathing room from the relegation zone as they picked up a crucial 93-82 victory at home over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. The game was close for about 32 minutes when Heidelberg pulled away with a 19-5 run to improve to 9-16 and drop Crailsheim to 8-17. Heidelberg were unstoppable on offense, shooting 59.4 percent on 2-pointers and 57.7 percent from long range. Eric Washington led the way with 29 points and 7 assists, Elias Lasisi had 20 points and Jack McVeigh added 19 points and 5 rebounds. James Batemon scored 28 points in a losing effort.
Player of the Week
Player of the Week for Round 25 goes to Eric Washington for his outstanding performance in MLP Academics Heidelberg’s win over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim as he scored 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting and 2-of-4 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 31.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst helped Bayern knock off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
F: Lukas Meisner, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Meisner played a major role in Hamburg defeating FRAPORT SKYLINERS with 14 points on 4 three-pointers, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
F: Kevin Wohlrath, Brose Bamberg
Wohlrath had two solid games in the week - collecting 14 points on 4 three-pointers, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against NINERS Chemnitz in Round 31. He then had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist versus ALBA BERLIN.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo gets a spot despite his team losing twice. He collected 20 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steal in Round 31 against Brose Bamberg and had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in a loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn.
C: Till Pape, BG Göttingen
Pape set career highs of 24 points and 8 rebounds and added 1 assist against SYNTAINICS MBC.
Young Guns
Ralph Hounnou, 21, PG, SYNTAINICS MBC
Hounnou scored a career high 6 points on 2-of-2 shooting (1/1 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws in 2:59 minutes. It was second game in the league for the former Telekom Baskets Bonn and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg farmhand.
Sananda Fru, 19, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
Fru picked up 5 points on 1-of-1 threes and 2-of-2 free throws with 2 rebounds in 13:48 minutes against FC Bayern Munich.
Sebastian Hartmann, 18, SG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Hartmann collected 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting (0/1 threes), 1 rebound and 1 assist in 5:55 minutes versus ratiopharm ulm.
Germans Abroad
Tibor Pleiss played his first game in the Turkish League in about six weeks and he poured in 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. The German big man is averaging 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in 8 BSL games while he is tallying 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 29 EuroLeague games.
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Turnaround im dritten Viertel sorgt für Playoff-Einzug: Berlin bezwingt Bamberg 84:67
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