Telekom Baskets Bonn pulled off a major comeback for the biggest story of the week as they rallied from 21 points down to beat ratiopharm ulm in overtime. NINERS Chemnitz and FC Bayern Munich both won their games ahead of their big showdown; and Bamberg Baskets fired head coach Oren Amiel after the team lost to Würzburg Baskets by 39 points.
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:
Bonn rally from 21 points down to win, Ulm lose another big lead
Telekom Baskets Bonn rallied from 21 points down to grab a third straight win as they downed ratiopharm ulm 98-97 at home in overtime - the second straight game the reigning champs have blown a big lead. In a rematch of the 2023 league Finals, Ulm charged ahead by 17 points in the first quarter and led 69-48 with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter. But Bonn fought back into the game and took the lead 82-81 with a 26-6 run. Thomas Klepeisz hit a three-pointer with 21 seconds left for a three-point Ulm lead but Noah Kirkwood matched the triple with 6 seconds left to force overtime. In the extra session, Bonn big man Thomas Kennedy evened the game with 38 seconds left and Harald Frey split two free throws with 8 seconds remaining for the win. Bonn have won three straight games for a 13-8 record and Ulm’s three-game losing streak dropped them to 13-7 in seventh place. Bonn made 24-of-31 free throws compared to 10-of-16 for Ulm, who last week failed to hold a 16-point advantage in losing to ALBA BERLIN. Brian Fobbs paced five Bonn players in double figures with 20 points, Kennedy finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds, Kirkwood scored 15 points and Savion Flagg and Sam Griesel both added 13 points. LJ Figueroa collected 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals for Ulm while Juan Nunez had 16 points and 5 assists in the loss.
Würzburg batter Bamberg by 39, stay on playoffs course
Würzburg Baskets remained on playoffs course by battering Bamberg Baskets 104-65 for fourth place in the league. Würzburg led 32-14 after 10 minutes and never let Bamberg back into the game for 13-6 record after three wins in the last four games. Bamberg have dropped four of five games for a 7-13 record. Würzburg drained 18-of-31 three-pointers for 58.1 percent while Bamberg committed 20 turnovers and shot just 37.5 percent for the game including 20.7 percent from long range. The 39-point win was the second biggest home victory in the league this season. Isaiah Washington scored 20 points with 5 assists, Zac Seljaas had 18 points and Otis Livingston tallied 16 points and 7 assists. EJ Onu led Bamberg with 16 points and Adrian Nelson added 14 points.
Bamberg fire head coach Amiel after Würzburg loss, Woltmann named interim
Bamberg Baskets have let go of head coach Oren Amiel after the team’s 104-65 loss to Würzburg Baskets. Bamberg have dropped four of their last five games for a 7-13 record for 12th place in the league - three wins behind the last spot in the playin ranks. The 52-year-old Israeli coach joined Bamberg in November 2021. Arne Woltmann will take over the team in the interim along with Stefan Weissenböck.
Chemnitz pull away in fourth to beat Oldenburg, await Bayern with momentum
NINERS Chemnitz will go into their big showdown at FC Bayern Munich with momentum as they used a big fourth quarter to beat EWE Baskets Oldenburg 87-69 at home for their third straight win. The game was close through three quarters before Chemnitz put the game away with a 17-6 run for a 17-3 record and Oldenburg dropped out of the playoffs ranks with a 9-11 mark. Chemnitz shot 59.0 percent for the game including 74.3 percent on two-pointers and held Oldenburg to 30.4 percent from long range and forced 19 turnovers. DeAndre Lansdowne scored 21 points, Jeff Garrett had 20 points and Tylor Ongwae chipped in 14 points. DeWayne Russell led Oldenburg with 15 points and 6 assists and Chaundee Brown added 13 points in the loss.
Obst hits 8 three-pointers in Bayern blowout of Wolves for 11th straight win
FC Bayern Munich avoided a slip-up ahead of their big showdown with NINERS Chemnitz as they took care of business with a 116-86 blowout of SYNTAINICS MBC on the road for their 11th straight victory. Bayern led by 13 points after the first quarter and just kept up the pressure in moving to 15-3. SYNTAINICS MBC have lost three in a row for a 6-14 record. Bayern made 17 triples at a 54.8 percent clip and also committed only 7 turnovers. Andi Obst tied a league season high 8 three-pointers in scoring 25 points with Carsen Edwards tallying 20 points, Isaac Bonga picking up 16 points and 5 rebounds and Niels Giffey adding 13 points and 7 rebounds. Charles Callison scored 21 points and Johnathan Stove added 20 points in a losing effort.
Wolves allow playmaker Baldwin to leave club
SYNTAINICS MBC parted ways with playmaker Diante Baldwin as they allowed the American to leave the club for a transfer fee. Baldwin initially came to the team last August to help out due to the injury to Charles Callison. Baldwin’s status dropped to seventh foreign player when power forward Vince Edwards recently returned to the team. And the Weißenfels club could not afford to keep Baldwin despite him being the team’s second-leading scorer with 12.3 points. The club will receive a transfer fee for Baldwin when he officially signs with another team.
Berlin slow down Vechta, stay in third place
ALBA BERLIN slowed down RASTA Vechta’s strong run by grabbing a 98-89 road victory to remain in third place. Berlin took a 12-point lead in the second quarter and they also led by 12 points early in the third quarter. Vechta mounted a comeback and took the lead after a 14-2 run. Berlin regained control with an 8-0 surge in the fourth quarter to win their fourth game in the last five for a 12-5 record. Vechta lost after having won six of seven games to drop to 13-7. The guests out-rebounded Vechta 38-29 and dominated inside - 46-26 on points in the paint and 26-12 in second chance points. Berlin also made 17-of-20 free throws compared to 5-of-6 for Vechta. Matteo Spagnolo came off the Berlin bench to score a team high 16 points, Johannes Thiemann had 15 points and Jonas Mattisseck chipped in 13 points. Ryan Schwieger scored 24 points to lead Vechta and Tommy Kuhse added 22 points.
Braunschweig down Heidelberg for 4th straight win, spot in playoffs
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig took a big step towards the post-season as they beat MLP Academics Heidelberg 94-76 on the road for their fourth straight win and a spot in the play-in ranks. Braunschweig took control of the game with a 28-17 second quarter and improved to 10-11 while Heidelberg fell to 3-17 after a fourth straight loss. Braunschweig held Heidelberg to just 37.7 percent shooting including 28.6 percent on three-pointers. Ferdinand Zylka led Braunschweig with 17 points off the bench while Sananda Fru collected a career-high 16 points, TJ Crokett scored 16 points, and Ahmaad Rorie added 13 points and 8 assists. Josh Gray led Heidelberg with 16 points and 6 assists.
Hamburg snap losing skid, keep Rostock reeling
Veolia Towers Hamburg snapped their three-game losing streak by registering a 105-89 home win over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES, who have now lost seven games in a row. Hamburg had a big 29-19 second quarter and remained in control for an 11-8 record while Rostock fell to 6-13. Hamburg shot 57.1 percent for the game including 75.0 percent on two-pointers. Aleksander Dziewa scored 22 points with 5 rebounds in just 15 minutes, Mark Hughes had 21 points and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann added 17 points and 5 rebounds. Chevez Goodwin collected 22 points and 8 rebounds in the loss and Tyler Nelson picked up 19 points.
Ludwigsburg hit 100 again, pull away from Crailsheim late
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg showed their offensive potential yet again as they beat HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 100-89 to reach the century mark for a sixth time this season in the league. Ludwigsburg had an 11 point lead late in the second quarter but Crailsheim remained close and were down only 5 points with 3 minutes left. Ludwigsburg answered with an 11-3 run to win their fourth game in the last five for a 13-7 record and Crailsheim have dropped four of five for a 4-16 mark. Ludwigsburg held Crailsheim to just 23.3percent from long range. Jayvon Graves did a bit of everything for Ludwigsburg with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Jaren Lewis scored 18 points and Desure Buie added 14 points and 6 assists. Brandon Childress had 24 points and James Murray-Boyles scored 21 points in the loss.
Balanced Göttingen roll past Tübingen in important win in relegation battle
BG Göttingen picked up an important victory in their fight to avoid relegation as they rolled past Tigers Tübingen 101-70 at home. Göttingen never trailed and blew the game open with a 34-10 third quarter for their third win in the last four games for a 6-12 record and Tübingen have lost seven of their last eight games for a 5-15 mark. Göttingen forced 18 Tübingen turnovers and also dominated the glass 40-21 including 14 offensive rebounds. Seven Göttingen players scored in double figures, topped by Karlis Silins with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Umoja Gibson added 15 points and 8 rebounds and Grant Anticevich chipped in 14 points. Jimmy Boeheim was Tübingen’s leading scorer with 13 points.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honors for Round 20 go to Karlis Silins of BG Göttingen as the big man scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shots and 1-of-2 shots to go with 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 28 against Tigers Tübingen.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Ferdinand Zylka, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Zylka collected 17 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals off the bench in a win over MLP Academics Heidelberg.
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst tied his career high and the league season high of 8 three-pointers in scoring 25 points against SYNTAINICS MBC. He also picked up 1 rebound.
F: Niels Giffey, FC Bayern Munich
Let’s give some more love to Bayern’s world champions as Giffey collected 13 points, 7 rebounds - 5 of them offensive rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block in the win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Sananda Fru, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Even though there already is Zylka in the Top Five from Braunschweig, Fru deserves a spot as well as he scored 16 points with 3 three-pointers to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block against MLP Academics Heidelberg.
C: Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Wobo had a strong game against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES with 17 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes.
Young Guns
Johann Grünloh, 18, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünhol started against ALBA BERLIN and played 25:22 minutes and picked up 8 points on 4-of-5 shots, 7 rebounds and 1 steal.
Len Schoormann, 21, SG, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann collected 7 points on 1-of-5 three-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, 1 rebound and 2 steals in 28:48 minutes as starter against NINERS Chemnitz.
Leif Möller, 20, PG, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Möller started against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES and picked up 5 points on 2-of-6 shots (1/2 threes), 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 26:18 minutes .
Grünloh, Delow, Kharchenkov named as debutants for Germany in next FIBA window
Johann Grünloh of RASTA Vechta, ALBA BERLIN guard Malte Delow and FC Bayern Munich guard Ivan Kharchenkov are in line to make their debut with the German senior national team as the trio were included in head coach Gordon Herbert’s 17-man roster for the up-coming FIBA window. Looking ahead to the first two games of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, Herbert nominated just two members of the world championship-winning side from Philippines last summer: Justas Hollatz and David Krämer. The other nominated players are: Bennet Hundt (MLP Academics Heidelberg), Leon Kratzer (Paris Basketball), Jonas Mattissek (ALBA BERLIN), Louis Olinde (ALBA BERLIN), Jacob Patrick (MHPO RIESEN Ludwigsburg), Christian Sengfelder (Telekom Baskets Bonn), Oscar da Silva (FC Barcelona), Lukas Wank (EWE Baskets Oldenburg), Nelson Weidemann (FC Bayern Munich), Nick Weiler-Babb (FC Bayern Munich), Niklas Wimberg (FC Bayern Munich), Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann (Veolia Towers Hamburg). Germany will host Montenegro on February 22 in Ludwigsburg and then take on Bulgaria in Botevgrad on February 25.
Germans Abroad
The German women’s national team made history in Belem, Brazil as they defeated Brazil 73-71 in the final game of their FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament to qualify for the 2024 Olympics - the first time the German women will play at the Olympics. The team led by Satou and Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich knocked off Serbia but lost to Australia before the decisive game against Brazil.
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