– David Hein
This week of two rounds of games saw FC Bayern Munich lock up home court advantage throughout the playoffs while Science City Jena were relegated to ProA and EWE Baskets Oldenburg’s Rasid Mahalbasic took over the title as Mr. Triple-Double.
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 beat Bamberg to secure home court advantage in playoffs
FC Bayern Munich have secured home court advantage throughout the easyCredit BBL playoffs after beating Brose Bamberg 85-78 at home. Bayern took control of the game in the third quarter and won their ninth straight game to move to 29-2. Danilo Barthel scored 15 points and Nihad Djedovic had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists as the hosts hit 63 percent from inside the three-point line and 19-of-21 free throws while Bamberg made just 9-of-12 foul shots. Bamberg, who were just days ahead of playing in the Basketball Champions League Final Four, got 12 points from Cliff Alexander but they were not enough in falling to 20-11 with their third loss in four games. Before the game, Anton Gavel was honored for his career after playing a major role for both teams.
Berlin grab tough road victory over Jena
ALBA BERLIN picked up a tough 81-77 victory at bottom-of-the-table Science City Jena. Jena led by 5 points in the fourth quarter, but Berlin went on a 12-0 run to grab control off the game with Luke Sikma hitting two free throws late to snap Berlin’s two-game losing streak for a 23-7 record. Luke Sikma collected 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals and Rokas Giedraitis added 13 points and 7 rebounds as Berlin turned the ball over just 10 times to offset just 3-of-20 (15 percent) shooting on three-pointers. Reggie Williams led Jena with 17 points, Martynas Mazeika and Ronald Roberts both had 16 points and Dru Joyce chipped in 10 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists. But they were not enough as Jena hit just 31 percent from long range and lost their 12th straight for a 5-26 record.
Berlin roll past Würzburg in battle of European finalists
ALBA BERLIN rolled past s.Oliver Würzburg 108-69 at home in a battle of teams which lost in the finals of European club competitions. Berlin led 32-15 after 10 minutes and the onslaught continued the rest of the game as Berlin made 18 three-pointers and shot 53 percent for the game and turned it over just 5 times. Peyton Siva tallied 19 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals and Niels Giffey and Derrick Walton Jr both scored 15 points as the EuroCup finalists Berlin won their second straight to move to 24-7 in third place. Würzburg, who lost in the FIBA Europe Cup finals, were without Gabe Olaseni, Jordan Hulls, Johannes Richter and Joshua Obiesie, were paced by 15 points from Brad Loesing. But they shot just 39 percent for game and were out-rebounded 48-28 in losing their fourth straight to fall to 15-16 in ninth place.
Bonn lose 22 point lead but grab big win in Braunschweig
Telekom Baskets Bonn wasted a 22-point lead but picked up a big victory in their fight for the playoffs as they won 92-86 at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Bonn led by 22 points early in the second half but Thomas Klepeisz evened the game with a minute left before Josh Mayo hit a big three-pointer with 13 seconds left and added two free throws with 3 seconds remaining for the win. Charles Jackson led the way with 21 points and 5 rebounds, while Bojan Subotic scored 17 points and Mayo picked up 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists for Bonn, who hit 42 percent from three-point range and turned it over just 10 times. Bonn snapped a three-game losing streak and moved to 16-14. Braunschweig have now lost two straight to fall to 15-16 despite DeAndre Lansdowne picking up 23 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Christian Sengfelder adding 17 points and 9 rebounds. But Braunschweig made just 32 percent on three-pointers and committed 18 turnovers.
Webb leaves Bonn for rest of the season
Telekom Baskets Bonn and James Webb have agreed to part ways with immediate effect, meaning the end of his first season in European basketball. The 25-year-old averaged 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 27 games in the easyCredit BBL for Bonn. He also had 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in the Basketball Champions League.
MBC takes step towards staying in league with win over Braunschweig
Mitteldeutscher BC lost a 17-point lead but managed to knock off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 84-81 at home to take a big step towards avoiding relegation. MBC’s 17-point first quarter lead was gone and the guests were up in the third quarter. MBC moved back ahead before Thomas Klepeisz cut the gap to 82-81 with 3.4 seconds remaining but Tremmell Darden made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left and DeAndre Lansdowne missed a three-pointers at the buzzer. MBC shot 60 percent on two-pointers to offset 19 percent on threes and 17 turnovers as Darden had 26 points and 9 rebounds and James Farr added 13 points and 9 rebounds. MBC have won two of three and are now 9-23 in 15th place. Scott Eatherton paced Braunschweig with 25 points and 7 rebounds and Klepeisz had 11 points and 6 assists, but Lansdowne scored just 5 points on 2-of-14 shooting with 4 turnovers as Braunschweig’s hopes of the playoffs are fading with three straight losses to fall to 15-17.
Bremerhaven grab huge win in relegation fight at home over Ludwigsburg
Eisbären Bremerhaven grabbed a huge victory in their fight to stave off relegation by winning 81-75 at home over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. It was tight throughout with eight points being the biggest lead for either team. But Armani Moore scored 7 of his team-high 18 points in the final 2:11 minutes as Bremerhaven picked up their fifth straight home win and third win in the last four games to move to 8-23. Chris Warren chipped in 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as Bremerhaven made 59 percent on two-point shots and held Ludwigsburg to 28 percent on three-pointers. Marcos Knight collected 23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists and Lamont Jones scored 21 points as the only two Ludwigsburg players in double figures. Ludwigsburg saw their three-game winning streak end to fall to 15-16.
Göttingen stave off relegation with win over Crailsheim
BG Göttingen will stay in the easyCredit BBL by picking up a big 88-63 victory at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. Göttingen took over in the second quarter and never looked back with Michael Stockton scoring 24 points, Pendarvis Williams collecting 15 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists and Derek Willis adding 14 points and 8 rebounds. Göttingen, who shot 57 percent for the game, snapped a five-game losing streak to move to 9-23. Crailsheim, who got 15 points from Dewayne Russell and 12 from Sherman Gay, shot just 38 percent for the game and have lost seven straight to fall to 7-25 in 17th place.
Vechta beat Crailsheim at home in battle of promoted teams
RASTA Vechta won the battle of promoted teams by beating HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 95-92 at home to remain alive in the fight for third place in the league. Vechta led by 13 points early in the second half and held on as Ben Madgen missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer. TJ Bray had 22 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists, Seth Hinrichs picked up 17 points and 5 assists and Clint Chapman chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as Vechta have won three straight for a 23-8 mark. Michael Cuffee scored 18 points and Dewayne Russell had 15 points and 8 assists for Crailsheim, who have lost six straight and are 7-24.
Ulm lock up playoffs spot with comfortable home win over Bayreuth
ratiopharm ulm locked up a spot in the playoffs after missing the post-season last year with a 92-60 home victory over medi bayreuth. The game was close late in the third quarter until Ulm took over with a 33-16 final period for their second straight win and sixth in the last seven to move to 19-13 in sixth place. Javonte Green tallied 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals and Ismet Akpinar had 19 points as Ulm committed just nine turnovers and shot 53 percent from the field and held Bayreuth to 43 percent. Kassius Robertson scored 13 points for Bayreuth, who are still alive for the playoffs after two straight losses for a 14-17 record in 12th place.
Oldenburg roll past Giessen for fifth straight
EWE Baskets Oldenburg rolled past GIESSEN 46ers 117-85 at home thanks to another triple-double by Rasid Mahalbasic. Oldenburg took the second quarter 35-20 and then won the final frame 33-19 for their fifth straight win and a 26-5 record. Will Cummings scored 30 points, Frantz Massenat had 20 points and Mahalbasic added 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists plus 4 steals for his third triple-double of the season. Oldenburg committed just seven turnovers and shot 59 percent in the game. Giessen saw John Bryant pick up 23 points and 6 rebounds and David Bell scored 15 points but hitting just 41 percent was not good enough as Giessen’s two-game winning streak was snapped to fall to 13-18.
Mahalbasic’s third triple-double in 14 games
Rasid Mahalbasic can legitimately call himself “Mr. Triple-Double” as EWE Baskets Oldenburg’s big man picked up 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists plus 4 steals against GIESSEN 46ers for his third triple-double in the last 14 games. There had been only five triple-doubles total since 1998 going into the season. Former German international and current s.Oliver Würzburg head coach Denis Wucherer was the last player to have two triple-doubles in one season - when he did it in 2004 for Leverkusen. The big Austrian Mahalbasic definitely showed he can have some fun at the ALLSTAR Game festivities (Part two):
Bayern blast Giessen to reach 30-win mark
FC Bayern Munich continued to roll in the easyCredit BBL with their 10th straight victory as they blasted GIESSEN 46ers 99-76 on the road. Bayern had a 27-10 third quarter to pull away as Derrick Williams had 18 points and 6 rebounds off the bench to lead five players in double figures including Nihad Djedovic and Danilo Bathel with 14 points each. Bayern shot 55 percent from the field with just 10 turnovers in moving to 30-2. Giessen hit just 23 percent on three-pointers while Larry Gordon picked up 22 points and 6 rebounds off the bench and John Bryant had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Giessen have lost two straight and are 13-19 in 13th place.
Ludwigsburg stay in playoffs ranks with home win over Vechta
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained among the playoff ranks with a 102-98 home victory over RASTA Vechta. Ludwigsburg led by 19 points at the end of the third quarter but were made to sweat as Vechta won the final period 29-14. But Marcos Knight hit a dagger jumper with 9 seconds left for Ludwigsburg’s fourth win in the last five games to move to 16-16 in eighth place. Knight had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals, Lamont Jones scored 18 points and Donatas Sibeckis picked up 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as Ludwigsburg made 17 three-pointers and hit 52 percent for the game despite missing Jordon Crawford. Vechta’s three-game winning streak was snapped for a 23-9 record as they made 48 percent for the game. Austin Hollins led the way with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, TJ Bray had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 13 assists and Robin Christen chipped in 15 points in the defeat.
Larson game-winner keeps Frankfurt’s playoff hopes alive
FRAPORT SKYLINERS kept alive their hopes for the playoffs with an 80-78 victory at Eisbären Bremerhaven thanks to Tyler Larson’s winner at the buzzer. Frankfurt had led by 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Chris Warren willed Bremerhaven back into the game only to see Larson put back his own missed layup as Frankfurt have won three straight for a 15-17 record in 10th place. Larson had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Jason Clark picked up 18 points off the bench and Leon Kratzer scored 14 points for Frankfurt, who committed just 9 turnovers. Elston Turner had 17 points and 5 assists, Warren added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Keith Benson chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists as Bremerhaven had their five-game home winning streak snapped to fall to 8-24 in 16th place - missing a chance to secure their spot in the easyCredit BBL for next season.
Frankfurt moving closer to playoffs with home win vs MBC
FRAPORT SKYLINERS kept close to the playoffs by grabbing a 93-88 home victory over Mitteldeutscher BC. Frankfurt led by 15 points in the second quarter before MBC pulled ahead by six points in the fourth quarter. But MBC did not score a basket in the final 4 minutes. Tyler Larson paced Frankfurt with 29 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals while Jason Clark and Leon Kratzer had 14 points each as the hosts shot shot 61 percent for the game to offset 17 turnovers and won the rebound battle 38-20 to move to 14-17. Trevor Releford picked up 18 points and 5 assists, Andrew Warren scored 17 points and Jovan Novak added 13 points and 7 assists for MBC, who lost three of the last four games for an 8-23 record.
Ulm continue roll with win at Göttingen
ratiopharm ulm continued their hot play with their fourth straight victory as they won at BG Göttingen 82-76. Ulm took over the game in the third quarter and controlled the final period to move to 18-13. Patrick Miller scored 17 points, Javonte Green had 16 points and 7 rebounds and Dwayne Evans chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals as Ulm out-rebounded Göttingen 35-25 rebounds and made 29-of-35 free throws compared to 15-of-22 for Göttingen, who shot 32 percent from long range. Mihaljo Andric tallied 22 points and Michael Stockton had 15 points and 6 assists as Göttingen have lost five straight and six in a row at home for an 8-23 record.
Bonn win crucial game at home and relegate Jena to ProA
Telekom Baskets Bonn moved a big step closer to the playoffs by winning at home 93-87 over Science City Jena to send them to Pro A as the first relegated team. Bonn led by 10 points in the third quarter, but Jena grabbed the lead in the fourth before Bonn made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 19 seconds for their second straight win to move to 17-14 in 7th place. Charles Jackson picked up 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, Josh Mayo scored 15 points and Nate Linhart and Bojan Subotic both collected 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal for the winners, who shot 57 percent for the game including 58 percent on three-pointers. Jena made 38 percent from long range and just 7-of-12 free throws with Derrick Allen scoring 22 points and Sid Marlon Theis adding 14 points. But Jena dropped their 13th in a row for a 5-27 record and were relegated to the second league.
Round 16, 31 and 32 make-up games to come
The schedule is nearly complete meaning some teams playing internationally have a couple of make-up games to play. Round 16 will be finished off on Wednesday when ALBA BERLIN host Telekom Baskets Bonn. Round 31’s final game is Tuesday with medi bayreuth welcoming s.Oliver Würzburg. And the last game from Round 32 is Wednesday with Brose Bamberg at home vs EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Bryant named league’s Best Offensive Player
Two-time MVP John Bryant of GIESSEN 46ers was named as the Best Offensive Player this season in the easyCredit BBL. The center, who averaged 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists, was selected by the head coaches and team captains of the 18 league teams as well as selected media members. Finishing behind Bryant were Will Cummings of EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Tyrese Rice of Brose Bamberg.
Players of the Weeks
With two rounds of games, there are two Player of the Week honors this week. From Round 31, Will Cummings collected 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-4 three-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 34 for EWE Baskets Oldenburg in their win over GIESSEN 46ers. Round 32’s top showing came from Mitteldeutscher BC’s Tremmell Darden, who had 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 6-of-7 free throws, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block for an efficiency of 35 versus Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
Tyrese Rice season MVP in Basketball Champions League
Tyrese Rice of Brose Bamberg was named as the season MVP for the Basketball Champions League. The veteran guard collected 16.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals for Bamberg and was joined on the All-Star Lineup by Kevin Punter of champions Virtus Bologna, Tim Abromaitis of Iberostar Tenerife, Vince Hunter of AEK Athens and Telnet Giants Antwerp’s Ismael Bako.
Bamberg finish fourth in Basketball Champions League
Brose Bamberg finished in fourth place at the Basketball Champions League as the German power lost to Virtus Bologna 67-50 in the Semi-Finals and then 72-58 to Telnet Giants Antwerp in the Third-Place Game.
Würzburg fall to Sassari in FIBA Europe Cup finals
s.Oliver Würzburg missed a chance to win a European club competition title as they lost the home return leg of the FIBA Europe Cup finals 81-79 to Dinamo Sassari for a 170-163 aggregate loss. Skyler Bowlin led the way with 20 points and Cameron Wells (18 points and 10 assists) and Devin Oliver (12 points and 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles in the loss.
Hamburg Towers win ProA, earn promotion to easyCredit BBL with Nürnberg Falcons
Hamburg Towers won the ProA championship by knocking off Nürnberg Falcons over two games as both teams earned promotion to the easyCredit BBL. Hamburg lost the first game of the finals 90-87 in Nuremberg but came back to win the home return leg 99-94 to clinch the title.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Ismet Akpinar, ratiopharm ulm
Akpinar helped Ulm to two wins as he had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against BG Göttingen and then picked up 19 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists against medi bayreuth.
SG: Dominik Lockhart, BG Göttingen
Lockhart returns to the list with two solid games as he had 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal against ratiopharm ulm and then picked up 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists versus HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim (check out this nice dunk from him).
F: Konrad Wysocki, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
The veteran is trying to keep Crailsheim in the easyCredit BBL as he had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block against RASTA Vechta and then tallied 6 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal against BG Göttingen.
F: Danilo Barthel, FC Bayern Munich
Barthel has been great all season and he had two more excellent games. Against Brose Bamberg, he had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists and then he tallied 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against GIESSEN 46ers (video on the right).
C: Leon Kratzer, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Kratzer’s great second half of the season continued with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in a win over MItteldeutscher BC before picking up 14 points on 7-of-10 shots with 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block against Eisbären Bremerhaven.
Diese Tanzstunde möchten wir dann doch gerne noch nachreichen ????
— FC Bayern Basketball (@fcb_basketball) May 5, 2019
LIVE auf https://t.co/J8YZrpxsKa#GIEFCBB #Barthel #FCBBlive pic.twitter.com/pad3va4vLa
Young Guns
Franz Wagner, 17, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Wagner collected 3 points on 1-of-2 three-pointers with 2 rebounds against Science City Jena and then scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shots and 2-of-2 free throws with 3 rebounds and 1 assists versus s.Oliver Würzburg.
Niklas Kiel, 21, PF, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Kiel picked up 5 points on 1-of-4 shots and 3-of-6 free throws, 7 rebounds and 1 steal in 22:11 minutes of a win over Mitteldeutscher BC and then had 9 points on 2-of-3 shots and 5-of-6 free throws and 2 rebounds in 20:45 minutes of a victory over Eisbären Bremerhaven.
Bjarne Kraushaar, 19, PG, GIESSEN 46ers
Kraushaar returns to the Young Guns with 7 points on 2-of-5 shots and 2-of-2 free throws and 1 rebound in 10:28 minutes versus EWE Baskets Oldenburg. He also scored 5 points on 1-of-1 shots and 3-of-4 free throws to go with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 13:33 minutes against medi bayreuth.
Mit 16 Jahren als jüngster Berliner aller Zeiten debütiert, mit 17 schon ein Euro-papokalfinale in der Vita, dazu fest in der Rotation von @albaberlin - Franz Wagner!
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) May 6, 2019
Weitere Infos findet Ihr unter:https://t.co/yuZVNuvx9H #BurningforBasketball #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/EqdQPH7ibY
Olinde Watch
Louis Olinde collected 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting including 1-of-1 on three-pointers, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 17:16 minutes of Brose Bamberg’s loss to FC Bayern Munich. In the Basketball Champions League Final Four, Olinde had 0 points on 0-of-1 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 turnover in 16 minutes of the Semi-Finals against Virtus Bologna. In the Third Place Game, he picked up 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 on three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 23 minutes.
Germans Abroad
German international big man Maik Zirbes will be playing next season in China as the 29-year-old signed with Guangxi Weizhuang after playing this season with Serbian side Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. Zirbes helped Zvezda to the Adriatic League title to get them back into the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for next season.
First plays usually tell you what kind of game we can expect. High octane, judging by these 2!
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) May 5, 2019
???? https://t.co/KYh4DMAJ6P
???? https://t.co/bQzQgXWlx4 #BasketballCL ????rd Place Game @BroseBamberg @AntwerpGiants @louisolinde98 pic.twitter.com/Y5kiDrGSAj
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