The biggest news of the easyCredit BBL week saw 12,015 fans come out to Barclays Arena to watch Veolia Towers Hamburg defeat FC Bayern Munich. ratiopharm ulm meanwhile unleashed another scoring outburst with a sixth straight home game scoring at least 100 points. And don’t look now but ALBA BERLIN have won four games in a row for a spot among the play-ins.
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 (Taking The Charge) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
12,015 fans watch Hamburg beat Bayern for fifth straight win
Veolia Towers Hamburg grabbed a massive victory as they fight to reach the playoffs, beating league leaders FC Bayern Munich 74-70 at home in front of 12,015 fans at the sold-out Barclays Arena. Hamburg jumped ahead by 14 points thanks to a big 24-10 third quarter and held on with MVP candidate Brae Ivey hitting the dagger three-pointer with 18 seconds to go. It was another Hamburg-Bayern thriller in northern Germany as the previous four games were all decided by five points or fewer - a 91-86 Hamburg win in March 2021; an 87-83 Hamburg win in April 2022; an 81-78 Hamburg victory in October 2022; and Bayern’s sole triumph in Hamburg, 81-80 in overtime in March 2024. Hamburg took advantage of a tired Bayern team that were eliminated from the EuroLeague playoff contention in the final play-ins game and now won five straight games for a 15-12 record. Bayern still lead the league after two losses in the last three games with a 20-8 mark. Niklas Wimberg burned his former team for 14 points as one of five Hamburg players in double figures. Andi Obst scored 19 points with 5 three-pointers at the other end.
Again! Ulm top 100 points for sixth straight home game in blowout of Oldenburg
ratiopharm ulm put on another offensive spectacle at home as they scored 100+ points for the sixth straight home game in a 119-92 victory over EWE Baskets Oldenburg at the ratiopharm arena. Ulm already led comfortably in the second quarter but then dropped 37 points on Oldenburg in the third quarter to run away for good. Ulm are now 20-9 with a nine-game home winning streak having averaged 112 points in the last six home contests. Oldenburg’s chances for the play-ins are fading after a fifth straight loss to fall to 12-16 including a nightmare 2-13 on the road. Noa Essengue scored 22 points off the bench to pace six players in double figures including Nelson Weidemann’s 16 points. Justin Jaworwski tallied 21 points in the loss.
Berlin move into play-ins spots after fourth straight win
Believe it or not but ALBA BERLIN are only one victory behind the final two spots for home court advantage in the playoffs after they eased by SKYLINERS 89-68 for their fourth straight win to take over a spot in the play-ins. Berlin pulled away for good in the third quarter for a 15-13 record while MLP Academics Heidelberg and Basketball Löwen Braunschweig are 16-11 in third and fourth place, respectively. Frankfurt fell to 8-20. Justin Bean scored 18 points and Jonas Mattisseck had 11 points for his first double digit scoring output since November 9. Malik Parsons had 26 points in the loss.
Thomas drains 9 threes for 34 points in Berlin win over Bonn
ALBA BERLIN continued their push up the standings as they beat Telekom Baskets Bonn 102-88 at home in a Round 32 game - thanks to some lights-out shooting from Matt Thomas. Berlin took the first quarter 32-18 and never looked back for their third straight win and a 14-13 mark while Bonn have lost three of four and fell to 12-15. Thomas hit 9 of 11 three-pointers off the bench for 34 points while Michael Kessens also had a big game in a reserve role with 16 points and 8 rebounds. In total, the Berlin bench scored 69 points. Darius McGhee drained 7 triples for 30 points and Thomas Kennedy had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double but they weren’t enough.
Weißenfels grab first ever win over Chemnitz, seventh straight home victory
SYNTAINICS MBC collected their first ever victory over NINERS Chemnitz as they won 97-95 for their club record seventh straight home win. Chemnitz, who had won the previous nine matchups against the fellow eastern German team, led 32-17 after 10 minutes but found themselves down 13 points midway through the third quarter. The guests got within one point with 2 minutes left but Charles Callison hit a big three-pointer and two free throws down the stretch. It improved the hosts to 15-12 with four wins in the last five games. Chemnitz have dropped three of four games for a 15-12 record but still hold the tiebreaker thanks to their 10-point home win earlier in the season. Ty Brewer scored 26 points and Tyren Johnson added 20 points in the win. Jacob Gilyard picked up 20 points in a losing effort.
Bonn stay alive in play-ins race, bring Heidelberg closer to the pack
Telekom Baskets Bonn grabbed an important victory in their fight for the play-ins as they wasted a 14-point lead but knocked off MLP Academics Heidelberg 85-80 at home. Bonn's defense kept Heidelberg scoreless for the final 2:22 minutes to improve to 13-15 after having lost three of their last four games. Sam Griesel paced the winners with 16 points and Thomas Kennedy had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Heidelberg had won five of the last six games but fell to 16-11 and were drawn closer to the nail-biting fight for the play-ins. They wasted 37 combined points from Ryan Mikesell and Michael Weathers.
Heidelberg pass Chemnitz in race for home court advantage with home win
MLP Academics Heidelberg earned an important win in their fight for home court advantage in the playoffs as they fought off NINERS Chemnitz 81-66 in a Round 16 make-up game. Chemnitz appeared to have control of the game before Heidelberg reeled off a 21-1 run over the final two quarters and rolled to the win. Heidelberg have won five of the last six for a 16-10 record to pass Chemnitz in the standings and also own the tiebreaker. Chemnitz have dropped two of three games for a 15-11 mark. Michael Weathers collected 19 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists off the Heidelberg bench and Osun Osunniyi added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Yebo scored 16 points in the loss.
Rostock roll past Bamberg for fifth straight win
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES extended their winning streak to five games as they cruised past Bamberg Baskets 98-74 at home, sending the guests to their fifth loss in a row. Rostock led 26-11 after 10 minutes and the cushion was 28 points at halftime as Rostock moved to 16-12 and Bamberg fell to 10-17. Bryce Hamilton scored 21 points to lead Rostock and Ronaldo Segu had 17 points and 5 assists in the loss.
Osbourne buzzer-beating three sends game to OT, Rostock down Frankfurt on road
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES needed a buzzer-beating three-pointer to force overtime but they extended their winning streak to four games by beating SKYLINERS on the road 77-72 in a Round 18 makeup game. The game was close throughout with Rostock’s eight-point overtime lead being the biggest advantage in the game, which had 12 lead changes and 11 ties. Rostock’s Malik Osbourne knocked down a triple at the buzzer to send the game to overtime 62-62. The guests scored the first eight points of the extra session to move to 15-12 while Frankfurt dropped to 8-19. Osbourne finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds and Bryce Hamilton chipped in 16 points - all of them after halftime - 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Malik Parsons had 19 points and 7 assists off the Frankfurt bench.
Jhivvan Jackson’s 27 helps Würzburg come back, keep Vechta reeling
FIT/One Würzburg Baskets matched their longest winning streak of the season as they rallied to beat free-falling RASTA Vechta 86-78 for a third straight win. Vechta led by four points midway through the fourth quarter but watched as Würzburg reeled off 14 straight points over the next 3 minutes to take the game. Würzburg improved to 15-13 after having won three in a row in both November and December. Vechta on the other hand have lost six in a row for a 14-14 record and now in 11th place. The saving grace is Vechta holds the tiebreaker after beating Würzburg by 12 points in Round 17. Jhivvan Jackson poured in 27 points for the winners. Brandon Randolph scored 21 points and Johann Grünloh picked up a career-high 20 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in the loss.
Ludwigsburg survive massive scare from already-relegated Göttingen
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg barely survived a major misstep in their fight for the playins as they struggled to defeat already-relegated BG Göttingen 79-74 on the road. Ludwigsburg never were able to put away the hosts and improved to 13-14 after having lost five of the last six games. Joel Scott led five Ludwigsburg players in double figures with 21 points and 12 rebounds while Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks for his first double-double since April 26, 2022. Göttingen fought throughout but could not snap their losing streak, which extended to 19 games for a 1-26 record despite 23 points from Kostja Mushidi.
Mönninghoff plays 400th game, will stay with Göttingen for two more years
BG Göttingen and captain Mathis Mönninghoff used the occasion of his 400th game in the Bundesliga to announce he will be staying with the club for the next two seasons until 2027. The 33-year-old is Göttingen record holder for games played with 271 of them. Mönninghoff has played in the easyCredit BBL since making his debut for TBB Trier in 2012-13, nine seasons with Göttingen.
Player of the Week
Ty Brewer grabbed the Player of the Week honors this week for his Round 29 performance for SYNTAINICS MBC in the win over NINERS Chemnitz. Brewer scored 26 points on 8 of 12 shots (4/7 threes) and 6 of 6 free throws while also picking up 6 rebounds and 2 steals for an efficiency of 29.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Nelson Weidemann, ratiopharm ulm
Weidemann came off the Ulm bench and collected 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a big win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
F: Kostja Mushidi, BG Göttingen
Mushidi tried all he could but his 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists were not enough in a loss to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
F: Niklas Wimberg, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Wimberg helped take down his former team with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block versus FC Bayern Munich.
F: Jonas Richter, NINERS Chemnitz
Richter has not shined as brightly this season as last year but he had a strong week - albeit in two losses. He picked up 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in a Round 16 loss to MLP Academics Heidelberg. He then tallied 13 points and 6 rebounds against SYNTAINICS MBC. He scored in double figures in back-to-back games after doing so in just one Bundesliga game this season.
C: Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
WoBo collected season highs of 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with 2 blocks against BG Göttingen. It was his first double-double of the season and his first since April 26, 2022 with Ludwigsburg against Würzburg
Young Guns
Johann Grünloh, 19, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünloh could have been given a spot in the Top Five but he still qualifies for here and he had an outstanding game despite Vechta’s loss to FIT/One Würzburg Baskets. He scored a career-high 20 points on 6 of 10 shots (2/3 threes) and 6 of 7 free throws while also picking up 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
Julis Baumer, 18, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Baumer scored a career high 6 points on 1 of 2 shots (1/1 threes) and 3 of 5 free throws to go with 2 rebounds in a career high 23:06 minutes against BG Göttingen.
Jaime Edoka, 17, SG, SKYLINERS
Edoka played his third Bundesliga game and scored his first points against ALBA BERLIN. The 17-year-old guard played 9:23 minutes and had 3 points on 1 of 2 shots (1/1 threes) and 0 of 1 free throws, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Bayern beat Zvezda, lose to Real to miss out on EuroLeague playoffs
FC Bayern Munich’s hopes of reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs were ended when they lost 93-71 at Real Madrid in the final play-in game. Bayern trailed 33-17 after 10 minutes and never came back to end their season. The club had reached the matchup against Real after beating Crvena Zvezda 97-93 at home in overtime in the 9-10 play-in game.
Germans Abroad
Four Germans are in the NBA playoffs and we will be keeping track of their performances here. The Orlando Magic with Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva fell behind 1-0 to the Boston Celtics with a 103-86 loss in Boston. Wagner scored 23 points with 5 assists while da Silva went scoreless in 74 seconds of action. Also in the East, Dennis Schröder and the Detroit Pistons snatched home court advantage in their series against the New York Knicks by winning Game 2 100-94. Schröder collected 20 points and 3 assists for Detroit, who snapped their NBA-record, 15-game postseason losing streak dating back to Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals. New York took Game 1 at Madison Square Garden 123-112 with Schröder scoring 8 points. In the West, Isaiah Hartenstein and the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past Memphis 131-80 as the German big man had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
