– David Hein
FC Bayern Munich find themselves in a rough patch in the easyCredit BBL as Basketball Löwen Braunschweig were the latest team to surprise the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs team. Elsewhere, Hamburg Towers remained the hottest team in the league by beating ALBA BERLIN for the second time in three weeks. Also, JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers announced they will part ways with general manager Michael Koch at the end of the season.
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:
Braunschweig next team to surprise Bayern, grab win in Munich
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig became the latest team to surprise FC Bayern Munich as they escaped Munich with an 85-83 victory. Bayern, who have lost road games against Hamburg Towers and JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers in the last two weeks, were without their suspended head coach Andrea Trinchieri as well as Wade Baldwin, Nick Weiler-Babb and Jalen Reynolds. The hosts were still up 83-80 with 90 seconds left before Benedikt Turudic scored and was fouled with 28 seconds left. Martin Peterka tipped in the missed bonus free throw to give Braunschweig the lead. Bayern couldn’t score and dropped their third game in the last four to fall to 22-7 while Braunschweig moved to 10-17. Braunschweig shot 54.2 percent from the field including 47.1 percent from long range while also grabbing 12 offensive rebounds. Karim Jallow poured in 24 points to lead Braunschweig while Arnas Velicka scored 18 points, Peterka had 16 points and Turudic finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Leon Radosevic set a career high of 23 points in the loss while Vladimir Lucic added 18 points and 6 rebounds.
Bayern end skid, beat Bayreuth at home in Round 29
FC Bayern Munich ended a two-game skid by knocking off medi bayreuth 83-62 at home in a Round 29 game. Bayern took over the game with a 26-10 second quarter and moved to 22-6 with Bayreuth falling to 11-16. Bayern shot 77.1 percent on two-pointers and forced 18 Bayreuth turnovers. Paul Zipser led the way with 19 points and Jalen Reynolds picked up 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in the win. Derek Pardon paced Bayreuth with 18 points.
Hamburg beat Berlin for second time in three weeks for eighth straight win
Hamburg Towers defeated reigning champions ALBA BERLIN for the second time within three weeks by registering a 75-68 road win to remain the hottest team in the league. Kam Taylor converted a four-point play with under 3 minutes to play and then nailed a big triple with 25 seconds left for Hamburg’s eighth straight win and an 18-9 record. Berlin, who dropped to 22-5, committed 22 turnovers and made just 5-of-23 three-pointers (21.7 percent) while Hamburg connected on 52.9 percent from long range. Taylor ended with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a league season-best 8 steals while TJ Shorts added 13 points and 5 assists. Luke Sikma collected 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to pace Berlin.
Hamburg roll continues, win at Vechta in Round 29
Hamburg Towers remained the hottest team in the easyCredit BBL as they defeated RASTA Vechta 88-82 on the road in a Round 29 game. Hamburg, who had head coach Pedro Calles and guard Max DiLeo facing their old team, took the first quarter 26-16 and built a 17-point lead in the third quarter in winning their seventh straight for a 17-9 record while Vechta lost their fourth straight for a 4-23 mark. Hamburg grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and committed only 12 turnovers for the win. Maik Kotsar paced Hamburg with 22 points and 9 rebounds, Terry Allen had 19 points and 6 rebounds and Kam Taylor picked up 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Edgar Sosa led all scorers with 23 points, 5 assists and 3 steals and Josh Young added 19 points and 6 assists.
Giessen win second straight, defeat Göttingen on road in Round 29
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers picked up an important victory in their fight against relegation as they defeated BG Göttingen 98-79 on the road in Round 29. After shocking FC Bayern Munich, Giessen grabbed control of the game with a 29-12 third quarter for a 6-21 record while Göttingen fell to 10-17. Giessen dominated the rebounding 37-24 and shot 58.7 percent from the field including 72.4 percent on two-pointers. Ferdinand Zylka set career highs of 23 points and 6 three-pointers to lead Giessen while Scottie James tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds, John Bryant collected 15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks and Diante Garrett chipped in 14 points, 7 assists and 3 steals. Göttingen’s main weapon was Aubrey Dawkins with 22 points and Rihards Lomazs scored 18 points.
Ulm hit century mark for sixth time in easy home win over Giessen
ratiopharm ulm hit the century mark for the sixth time this season as they rolled to a 109-79 home victory over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers. Ulm led by 13 points after 10 minutes and then pulled away for good with a 22-9 run in the third quarter for a 17-11 record after three straight wins. Giessen dropped to 6-22 as they could not build upon their two-game winning streak. Ulm committed only 10 turnovers and shot 59.4 percent from the field including 53.8 percent from the outside while also winning the rebound battle 36-24. Andi Obst paced the winners with 19 points and 7 assists, Dylan Osetkowski added 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and Patrick Heckmann finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Diante Garrett led Giessen with 16 points and 6 assists and Scottie James added 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Giessen and Koch to part ways at season’s end
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers have announced that they will part ways with general manager and sports director Michael Koch at the end of the current season. Koch joined the club in March 2020 but Giessen’s management said it would like to go a different direction next season, which it appears more and more likely will be in the ProA.
Crailsheim lock up playoffs spot with Round 29 home win over Bonn
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim will play in the easyCredit BBL playoffs after they beat Telekom Baskets Bonn 91-88 in Round 29 action to lock up a spot in the post-season. Crailsheim wasted a 15-point first quarter lead and won the game with an 11-2 late surge thanks to two three-pointers from Elias Lasisi and a dagger triple by Jeremy Jones with 26 seconds left. Crailsheim moved to 19-8 while Bonn have lost two in a row and face a challenge to make the playoffs at 10-17. Jones had 19 points, Lasisi scored 17 and Trae Bell-Haynes collected 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Chris Babb drained 6 three-pointers in scoring a career-high 36 points with 5 assists while Strahinja Micovic added 16 points.
MBC end losing streak with big win at Crailsheim
SYNTAINICS MBC collected a big win in their fight to avoid the drop as they knocked off playoffs-bound HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 82-77 on the road to snap a seven-game losing streak. MBC built up a 14-point lead with under 4 minutes left and Michal Michalak made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 12 seconds for an 8-21 record while Crailsheim fell to 19-9. MBC out-shot Crailsheim 47.5 percent to 44.4 percent in a tight game. Michalak finished with 31 points and Roko Rogic picked up 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the win. Fabien Bleck poured in a career-high 23 points to go with 6 rebounds and Trae Bell-Haynes had 13 points and 6 assists but 8 turnovers.
Vechta show signs of life in relegation fight, win at home over Chemnitz
RASTA Vechta showed signs of life in their relegation fight as they snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating NINERS Chemnitz 82-69 at home. Vechta took control in the second quarter and the game was never close in the second half as Vechta moved to 5-23 while Chemnitz fell to 10-17. Vechta committed only 4 turnovers while holding Chemnitz to 37.5 percent from the field. Edgar Sosa knocked down 7 three-pointers in scoring a team-high 27 points while Jannes Hundt added 11 points. Marcus Thornton collected 25 points, rebounds and 3 assists in the loss and Jan Niklas Wimberg picked up 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Bamberg get back to winning ways, win at Bayreuth
Brose Bamberg got back to their winning ways with an important 97-88 road victory over medi bayreuth. Bamberg pulled away in the fourth quarter for their sixth win in the last seven games for a 14-12 record - three wins more than a a trio of contenders for the final playoff spot including Bayreuth at 11-17. Bamberg drained 16-of-32 three-pointers in the win as David Kravish paced the team with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and Christian Sengfelder collected 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Bastian Doreth poured in 22 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists for Bayreuth and Frank Bartley chipped in 12 points and 4 assists.
Oldenburg ease past Bonn at home, get closer to home court advantage
EWE Baskets Oldenburg moved closer to locking up home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs by rolling past Telekom Baskets Bonn 106-87 at home. Oldenburg took the second quarter 35-20 for their fourth straight win and a 21-6 record - and a 2.5 game cushion over fifth-placed HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim - while Bonn lost their third in a row for a 10-18 mark. Oldenburg committed only 8 turnovers and forced Bonn into 22 turnovers. Keith Hornsby led the way with 24 points, Sebastian Herrera had 18 points, Rasid Mahalbasic collected 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and Braydon Hobbs finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 steals. Bonn’s top scorer was Strahinja Micovic with 21 points while Chris Babb had 19 points with 5 three-pointers and 5 assists.
Göttingen stay in playoffs hunt with home win over Würzburg
BG Göttingen stayed alive in the race for the playoffs by picking up a 96-73 home victory over s.Oliver Würzburg. Göttingen took the second quarter 30-18 in improving to 11-17 - three wins fewer than Brose Bamberg in the last post-season spot - while Würzburg fell to 8-19 with their fifth straight loss. Göttingen committed only 9 turnovers and held Würzburg to 42.4 percent form the field. Luke Nelson paced Göttingen with 18 points and 7 assists while Rihards Lomazs scored 18 points, Aubrey Dawkins had 16 points and Deishaun Booker picked up 12 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Würzburg was led by Felix Koch with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week for Round 27 goes to Kam Taylor for his performance in Hamburg Towers’ big win over ALBA BERLIN. He collected an efficiency of 32 by scoring 23 points on 9-of-15 shots (4-of-6 threes) and 1-of-1 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a league season high 8 steals and 1 block.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Bastian Doreth, medi bayreuth
Bayreuth lost twice this week but Doreth still had two solid showings. Against FC Bayern Munich, the veteran had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He followed that up with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss to Brose Bamberg.
G: Ferdinand Zylka, JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers
Zylka grabs a spot on this team thanks to his fantastic performance in Giessen’s win over BG Göttingen with career highs of 6 three-pointers and 23 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. In the loss to ratiopharm ulm, Zylka had 2 points and 2 rebounds.
F: Fabien Bleck, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Bleck poured in a career high 23 points to go with 6 rebounds in Crailsheim’s loss to SYNTAINICS MBC. In the team’s win over Telekom Baskets Bonn, Bleck collected 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals.
F: Karim Jallow, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Jallow played a major role in Braunschweig knocking off his former team as he collected 24 points 5 rebounds and 2 assists against FC Bayern Munich.
C: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder returns to the Top Five after a couple weeks away as he collected 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in Bamberg’s win over medi bayreuth.
Young Guns
Igor Milcic, 18, SF, ratiopharm ulm
Milicic was a major beneficiary of Ulm’s route of JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers as the 18-year-old forward collected 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting (1-of-1 threes) and 5 rebounds in 10:39 minutes in his second game in the league.
Simonas Lukosius, 18, SG, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Lukosius made his seventh and eighth appearances of the season for Bonn and No. 8 was especially memorable. The 18-year-old picked up 5 points on 1-of-1 three-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in 8:59 minutes against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. Lukosius then poured in 13 points on 4-of-7 shots (1-of-4 threes) and 4-of-4 free throws to go with 1 rebound and 2 assists in 21:04 minutes against EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Kay Bruhnke, 19, SG, medi bayreuth
Bruhnke made his debut in the staring lineup in Bayreuth’s game against FC Bayern Munich and the 19-year-old had 4 points on 1-of-3 shooting (0-of-1 threes) and 2-of-2 free throws and 1 rebound in 17:01 minutes. He followed that with 1 point on 0-of-1 three-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws in 7:35 minutes against his former club Brose Bamberg.
Unsere Löwen machen dem Favoriten in der 1. Halbzeit das Leben schwer und gehen mit nur einem Punkt Rückstand in die Kabinen (37:38). Martin (11) und Karim (10) sind aktuell unsere Topscorer.
— Basketball Löwen (@BBLoewenBS) April 11, 2021
Die zweite Hälfte gibt's live im Courtside Special bei #MagentaSport! pic.twitter.com/91gGmgyeU8
Hollatz Check
Hamburg Towers just keep winning and Justus Hollatz continues to play a role in those victories. The point guard, who will turn 20 on April 21, started against RASTA Vechta and collected 8 points on 3-of-5 shots (1-of-3 threes) and 1-of-3 free throws, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers in 26:03 minutes. Hollatz then picked up 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting (2-of-2 threes), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers in 25:38 minutes against ALBA BERLIN.
Germans Abroad
With the last couple of weeks being dedicated to the NCAA Tournament in the United States, Ismet Akpinar missed his chance of receiving his recognition for his outstanding performance in Turkey. The guard drained 7 three-pointers in scoring 32 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists against Orman. Most recently, Akpinar hit 4 three-pointers for 15 points and 6 assists against Fethiye for Bahcesehir.
Starkes Anspiel von Justus Hollatz auf TJ Shorts (ebenso starker Cut!).
— Hamburg Towers (@hamburgtowers) April 10, 2021
???? Alle Spiele der @easyCreditBBL gibt es LIVE unter https://t.co/ke4YKIVwck | #HamburgTowers #MorethanBasketball pic.twitter.com/h1D3LMx5gy
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