– David Hein
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg showed they are the class of the league at the moment as they raced past EWE Baskets Oldenburg in a battle of two of the top teams in the easyCredit BBL for their 13th straight win. FC Bayern Munich exhibited why they still will have a say in the championship by beating ALBA BERLIN (in the EuroLeague), Brose Bamberg as well as s.Oliver Würzburg. The latter lost two games this week and Würzburg remain the only team in the league without a home victory.
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:
Ludwigsburg too much for Oldenburg in top showdown
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg showed they are the class of the easyCredit BBL by grabbing an 89-75 victory at EWE Baskets Oldenburg in a showdown of two of the best teams in the league. Ludwigsburg took control of the game with a 29-13 second quarter and grabbed their 13th straight win for a 15-1 record while Oldenburg saw their nine-game winning streak snapped to fall to 13-3. Ludwigsburg committed only eight turnovers and shot 50.7 percent from the field while keeping the league’s number one offense in check at just 41.2 percent for the game. Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann poured in a career-high 23 points with 11 rebounds, Jordan Hulls scored 22 points and Jaleen Smith was outstanding with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Keith Hornsby’s 21 points were not enough and Rickey Paulding scored 14 points and Rasid Mahalbasic added 12 points and 5 rebounds in the loss.
Bayern win Round 20 thriller at Bamberg
FC Bayern Munich stayed close to the leaders in the league by grabbing a 93-92 victory in a thriller at Brose Bamberg. The lead changed hands 12 times including for the last time on Jalen Reynolds’ basket with 33 seconds left as Bayern improved to 12-3 and Bamberg dropped to 7-10. Bayern shot 55.2 percent from the floor compared to 50.0 percent for Bamberg. Reynolds led the way with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, Wade Baldwin had 14 points and Diego Flaccadori chipped in 10 points and 7 assists. David Kravish paced Bamberg with 29 points and 7 rebounds, Devon Hall had 20 points and 8 assists and Christian Sengfelder tallied 16 points and 2 rebounds.
Bayern keep Würzburg winless at home in Round 10 make-up
FC Bayern Munich kept s.Oliver Würzburg winless at home with a 74-70 victory. Würzburg led for most of the game with a nine-point advantage late in the third quarter before Bayern gained control with a 13-2 run for a 11-3 record with Würzburg losing their sixth straight at home for a 5-10 mark. Würzburg committed 19 turnovers and shot only 35.9 percent while Bayerm hit just 17.9 percent from long range but connected on 59.4 percent of their 2-pointers. Wade Baldwin finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Nick Weiler-Babb scored 15 points and Vladimir Lucic added 12 points and 5 rebounds. Cameron Hunt was Würzburg’s main weapon with 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and Jonas Weitzel had 11 points and 5 rebounds.
Würzburg home woes continue with loss to Göttingen
s.Oliver Würzburg’s home woes continued as they lost 87-82 to BG Göttingen to remain the only team in the league without a win on their home court. Göttingen led by 12 points early in the fourth quarter but were close until Rihards Lomazs’ dagger three-pointer with 2 minutes left. Göttingen moved to 5-11 while Würzburg dropped their fourth straight for a 5-11 mark, including a 0-7 record at home. Göttingen committed only nine turnovers and shot 42.9 percent on three-pointers compared to 35.5 percent from long range for Würzburg. Tai Odiase picked up 23 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks, Aubrey Dawkins scored 17 points and Luke Nelson and Deishaun Booker combined for 21 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Alex King poured in a career-high 22 points in the loss while Cameron Hunt had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists and Felix Koch contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Bamberg survive late run in home win over MBC
Brose Bamberg survived a late run by SYNTAINICS MBC in securing a 95-80 victory at home. Bamberg took the third quarter 28-15 and built a 22-point lead before MBC used a 12-0 surge to pull within seven points. But the hosts held on to move to 7-9 and hand MBC their fourth straight loss and a 5-10 record. Bamberg won the rebound battle 42-33 while holding the guests to just 28.1 percent from long range. Devon Hall collected 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Christian Sengfelder picked up 18 points and 6 rebounds, David Kravish added 16 points and 10 rebounds, Kenneth Ogbe tallied 14 points and 7 rebounds and Bennet Hundt chipped in 13 points and 4 assists. Michal Michalak’s 19 points were not enough with Aleksandar Marelja adding 17 points and 6 rebounds.
Berlin roll on, defeat Göttingen on road in Round 10 make-up
ALBA BERLIN continued their roll in the easyCredit BBL as they knocked off BG Göttingen 86-75 on the road. Berlin took over the game with a 27-16 third quarter and built the lead to 21 points in registering their eighth straight win for a 12-1 mark with Göttingen falling to 4-11. Göttingen committed 18 turnovers and Berlin won the battle of the glass 44-33 including 17 offensive rebounds. Maodo Lo tallied a career-high 23 points to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists while Luke Sikma flirted with a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Rihards Lomasz tallied 22 points and 4 assists in his first game for Göttingen and Tai Odiase had 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Berlin keep pace with leaders in easy home win over Chemnitz
ALBA BERLIN remained the heels of the league leaders with a comfortable 83-65 home win over NINERS Chemnitz. Berlin took the first quarter 17-6 and never really faced a challenge the rest of the way in registering their ninths straight win for a 13-1 record with Chemnitz falling to 4-11. Berlin shot 16-of-34 from long range for 47.1 percent compared to 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) for Chemnitz. Marcus Eriksson drained 5 three-pointers for 20 points, Louis Olinde had12 points and 6 rebounds and Maodo Lo chipped in 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. George King paced Chemnitz with 15 points and 5 rebounds and Jonas Richter had 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Bonn win offensive shootout at MBC in Round 17 game
Telekom Baskets Bonn won an offensive shootout at SYNTAINICS MBC 103-97 to snap a losing streak. Bonn used a 10-0 fourth quarter run to gain control of the game and James Thompson, TJ DiLeo and Josh Hagins all hit two free throws in final 30 seconds to give Bonn a 4-11 record while MBC dropped their fifth straight for a 5-11 mark. Bonn shot 50.8 percent for the game compared to 43.8 percent for MBC. Chris Babb led the way with 27 points while Thompson had 16 points and 13 rebounds and DiLeo added 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. MBC wasted Michal Michalak’s 26 points while Quinton Hooker added 13 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals in the loss.
Bonn bring back Isaiah Philmore
Telekom Baskets Bonn have brought back a familiar face as they signed Isaiah Philmore to help under the basket. The 30-year-old big man played for Bonn in 2015-16 and spent the last two and a half years in Romania.
Braunschweig return from quarantine to pick up home win over Ulm
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig returned from their second ordered team quarantine of the season and picked up a 94-92 home win over ratiopharm ulm. Braunschweig used a 6-0 spurt late in the game to grab the win and snap a five-game losing streak for a 5-7 record while Ulm fell to 10-6. Braunschweig, whose head coach Pete Strobl was an assistant at Ulm for three years, shot 53.3 percent for the game including 48.3 percent on three-pointers. Lukas Meisner led the way 25 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Karim Jallow collected 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and James Robinson picked up 12 points and 9 assists. Dylan Osetkowski paced Ulm with 18 points while Andi Obst scored 16 points after missing the previous game and Troy Caupain added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.
Ulm prevail at home over Frankfurt in Round 4 make-up game
ratiopharm ulm proved too controlled with the ball in gathering a hard-fought 80-76 home victory over FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Ulm gave up an 11-point advantage and after pulling ahead in the fourth gave up the lead again before Per Günther hit six free throws in a 12-0 run for their fourth straight win and a 10-5 record. Frankfurt dropped their third in the last four games to fall to 6-9. Ulm were out-shot 54.3 percent to 44.1 percent but the hosts committed only 7 turnover to 17 for Frankfurt. Günther ended with 13 points while Dylan Osetkowski had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals and Thomas Klepeisz collected 13 points, 3 assists and 4 steals. Matt Mobley paced Frankfurt with 26 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists with Quantez Robertson picking up 14 points and 5 rebounds in his 400th game in the easyCredit BBL. Jon Axel Gudmundsson added 14 points and Michael Kessens chipped in 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists in the defeat.
Frankfurt on fire from deep in road win over Vechta
FRAPORT SKYLINERS used a barrage of three-pointers to knock off RASTA Vechta 96-72 on the road. Frankfurt led 48-32 at halftime and put the game away with a 15-2 run for a 7-9 record with Vechta falling to 3-13. Frankfurt shot 57.6 percent from the field including 55.6 percent from long range and committed only seven turnovers. Matt Mobley poured in 30 points to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, Kamari Murphy added 16 points against his former team and Quantez Robertson chipped in 14 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Josh Young led Vechta with 17 points and 5 rebounds, Will Vorhees scored 13 points and Jannes Hundt had a career-high 12 points.
Bayreuth win overtime battle at Hamburg
medi bayreuth collected a big road victory by knocking off Hamburg Towers 95-92 in overtime. Bayreuth wasted a 13-point lead and watched Hamburg put together a 15-0 run in the third quarter. Frank Bartely scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime where Derek Pardon secured the win with two blocks in the waning seconds. Bayreuth, who improved to 6-10, shot 57.4 percent from the field including 75.0 percent on 2-pointers while Hamburg, who fell to 9-5, shot 47.1 percent for the game. Bartley ended with 19 points, Marcus Tiby had 17 points and 7 rebounds, Osvaldas Olisevicius scored 14 points, Pardon added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks and Bastian Doreth picked up 3 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in his 300th game. Jordan Swing paced Hamburg with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, TJ Shorts added 17 points and 6 assists and Kam Taylor and Maik Kotsar both had 12 points.
Crailsheim have little trouble with Giessen in extending win streak
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim were not really challenged in rolling to a 101-82 victory at JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers. Crailsheim led 61-30 at halftime and never looked back for a fourth straight win and a 14-2 record while Giessen dropped to 2-14 in last place. Crailsheim dished out 30 assists while hitting 15-of-29 three-pointers for a blistering 51.7 percent. Nimrod Hilliard picked up 14 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, Bogdan Radosavljevic had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists and Trae Bell-Haynes chipped in 12 points and 8 assists. Giessen’s new addition Diante Garrett led the way with 17 points, 8 assists and 3 steals, Jonathan Stark had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists and Chad Brown added 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Player of the Week
Player of the Week honors this week go to Matt Mobley of FRAPORT SKYLINERS as he collected 30 points on 10-of-14 shots including 6-of-9 three-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for an efficiency of 38 against RASTA Vechta.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN
Lo had an outstanding week in the league with two big games. He collected a career high 23 points to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a Round 10 win over BG Göttingen. Lo then picked up 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals against NINERS Chemnitz.
G: TJ DiLeo, Telekom Baskets Bonn
DiLeo played a major role in Bonn snapping a losing streak as he tallied 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Alex King, s.Oliver Würzburg
Sure Würzburg lost twice, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort by the league’s leader in games played King. The 35-year-old veteran had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the Round 10 game against FC Bayern Munich. King then scored a career high 22 points against BG Göttingen.
F: Lukas Meisner and Karim Jallow, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
It would have been a crime to leave either Meisner or Jallow off this list and it would be been even harder to pick only one of them. So, we put them together for their efforts in Braunschweig’s win over ratiopharm ulm. Lukas Meisner collected 25 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists and Karim Jallow contributed 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
C: Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
JoWoBo had the game of his life in Ludwigsburg’s big win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg with a career-high 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
Young Guns
Lukas Herzog, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Herzog played a big role in Ludwigsburg’s big win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg as the 19-year-old collected 3 points on 1-of-4 shots - including 1-of-3 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 15:13 minutes.
Jonas Mattisseck, 21, PG, ALBA BERLIN
Mattisseck helped Berlin to two wins during the week. He picked up 4 points on 1-of-4 shooting, including 1-3 from long range, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 17:28 minutes in Round 10 against BG Göttingen. Mattisseck then had 2 points on 1-of-7 shooting, including 0-of-5 on three-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws, 1 rebound, 5 assists and 1 turnover against NINERS Chemnitz.
Luc van Slooten, 18, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Van Slooten continues his development with Braunschweig as he had 3 points on 1-of-2 shooting and 0-of-3 free throws, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 turnover and just 2 fouls in 15:37 minutes against ratiopharm ulm.
Nur ein Center im Kader? Kein Problem, wenn dieser Jonas #WohlfarthBottermann heißt! Unser Kapitän ist der beste Mann auf dem Parkett.
— MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg (@MHP_RIESEN) February 7, 2021
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Das beste Programm vom Parkett ▶️ https://t.co/XARw2paB6x pic.twitter.com/UdO7NXhTBD
Bayern come back to beat Berlin in overtime in EuroLeague thriller
FC Bayern Munich came back from a 16-point deficit to defeat ALBA BERLIN 101-95 in overtime in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Bayern trailed by 13 points with 6 minutes left but raced back and forced overtime after big three-pointers by Vladimir Lucic and Wade Baldwin. In the extra session, Berlin committed three straight turnovers to let Bayern slip away in the first-ever EuroLeague showdown between the two German teams in Munich. Jalen Reynolds tallied a career-high 24 points while Baldwin had 21 points and 7 assists, and both Paul Zipser and Vladimir Lucic poured in 20 points. Berlin got a career-high 20 points from Ben Lammers and Maodo Lo hit 16 points.
Hollatz Check
Justus Hollatz was limited to just 7:36 minutes of action for Hamburg Towers against medi bayreuth - the second-fewest minutes in a game this season. The 19-year-old went scoreless as he did not attempt a shot while dishing out 2 assists with 1 turnover.
Job Interview
We’re at it again with “Job Interview” … what do and don’t the players of the easyCredit BBL know about Dirk, the German national team and who invented the game we all love? We’ve said it before, this video is in German, so hope those Deutsch lessons are coming along.
Germans Abroad
January 2021 was very good to Vladimir Pinchuk as the former Schwelm and Hagen product scored in double figures in all four of his NCAA games with San Diego and twice picked up double-doubles, including 19 points and 11 rebounds against Santa Clara. For the season - the 21-year-old’s fourth in the United States - Pinchuk is averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.1 minutes over eight games. Pinchuk, who played at two Adidas Next Generation Tournaments on loan for FC Bayern Munich, sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules after playing two seasons at the University of New Mexico.
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