Round 30 of the easyCredit BBL saw four teams win big thanks to a slew of make-up games on tap. Bayern secured two blowout wins, Vechta and Bamberg kept rolling, while Braunschweig breathed new life with two wins.
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:
Munich clarifies intentions with two blowout wins
FC Bayern Basketball sandwiched two dominant domestic performances around their last EuroLeague game of the season and maintained control atop the easycredit standings. On Tuesday, Svetislac Pesic's side dismantled MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, 93-59, behind Andreas Obst's 19 points and 4 assists in a round 13 make-up game. Then, on Monday, FCBB traveled to Trier and took apart VET-CONCEPT Gladiators, 104-80, thanks to their physicality and a new career high 22 points (9/10 FG) from Oscar Da Silva, who had plenty of help in the form of Vladimir Lucic's 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting, as well as David McCormack's 13 points and 9 rebounds. With the win, Bayern (23-5) clinched home-court advantage in round one of the playoffs, with four game days to go.
ALBA starts hot, cruises to home win vs Bonn
ALBA Berlin defeated Telekom Baskets Bonn at home, 91–75. Berlin started hot (13/17 FG), built a quick double-digit lead and were up 26 points before halftime. They maintained control throughout the second half and won easily. Bonn struggled shooting the ball (8/30 on three-pointers) and committed 18 turnovers, limiting their chances against a stout and experienced opponent. Malte Delow (17 points, 7/11 FG), Moses Wood (14 points) and Martin Hermannsson (13 points) led a balanced ALBA attack. Alijah Comithier (22) and Jalen Finch (20) were Bonn's top scorers. The standings remained unchanged: Bonn stays in fourth place at 19-12, while Berlin (21-8) holds second and has already secured a postseason spot.
Braunschweig breathe new life with two wins in one week
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig claimed two big wins thanks to a 93-82 triumph at Science City Jena, followed by a 112-93 thrashing of SYNTAINICS MBC at home. On Tuesday, Ramon Diaz Sanchez' side added to Jena's woes by handing the Thuringians their finfth loss in a row, led by Ferdinand Zylka's 22 points and Simi Shittu's double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds), while Keith Braxton Jr put up 17 points for Jena. On Sunday, it was backup point guard Bryant Crawford who kept Braunschweig's hopes of avoiding relegation alive with 29 points in 20 explosive minutes of action. Jure Planinic scored 22 points on 10-13 shooting for SYNTAINICS MBC, who now sit at 12-18 and missed out on their first opportunity to officially maintain league status.
Vechta win fourth in a row, Towers lose ground
RASTA Vechta strengthened its postseason push with a 92–83 win over Veolia Towers Hamburg, marking their fourth straight victory and improving their playoff chances, while Hamburg’s hopes of reaching the play-in spots grew slimmer. The game at Inselpark Arena saw Vechta dominate early thanks to a massive 23–0 run in the first quarter that gave them a commanding 33–10 lead. By halftime, Vechta was ahead 53–28 and even extended the lead to 33 points in the third quarter. Hamburg's comeback efforts fell short. Towers guard Devon Daniels led all players with 24 points, but Vechta’s TJ Bamba delivered a more efficient all-around performance with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Alonzo Verge added 19 points and 9 assists for RASTA.
Defensive masterclass helps Bamberg blow out Oldenburg
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets held BBL top scorer Chris Clemons to just six points and notched their third win in a row, 83-61 against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The reigning cup champs strengthened their third-place standing, led by Cobe Williams (17 points) and Richard Balint (14 points on 5/7 shooting). Bamberg set the tone early with strong defense, forcing turnovers and maintaining control throughout for a 41–31 halftime lead. In the second half, Anton Gavel's side continued to shut down Clemons as Williams and Balint got comfortable offensively. Every Oldenburg attempt to rally was neutralized by the hosts, who comfortably closed out the game and seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.
Chemnitz rise thanks to home wins against Ulm & Jena
NINERS Chemnitz was one of this week's biggest winners after first disposing of ratiopharm ulm, 79-66 in a Round 23 make-up game, then securing a dramatic 76-73 win at the buzzer in a heated derby with Science City Jena. Eric Washington was brilliant against Ulm with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals on 6-9 shooting, while Kevin Yebo and Kostja Mushidi added 14 points apiece. Against Jena on Saturday, Chemnitz started strong with a 21-0 run but let the hosts - who were led by their new head coach Mike Taylor - climb back into the game after halftime. In a tense back-and-forth battle, overtime seemed inevitable - until Corey Davis beat the final buzzer with a game-winning three pointer. Kevin Yebo (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Joe Wieskamp (22 points, 10 rebounds) led their respective teams. The win kept Chemnitz’s play-in hopes alive and left Jena, losers of five in a row, battling to avoid relegation.
Ulm defense locks down SEAWOLVES
ratiopharm ulm sent a strong defensive statement in Rostock, winning 75–68 to re-enter the race for direct playoff qualification after three straight losses. Both teams struggled offensively, committing turnovers by the boatload (35 combined). Ulm improved by effectively feeding Chris Ledlum (22 points, 8 rebounds) inside. Rostock stayed close, trailing 41–35 at the break. Rostock briefly regained the lead in the third quarter, led by D’Shawn Schwartz, who scored a team-high 16 points, but Ulm responded through Justin Simon’s all-around impact (15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals). In a tight finish, Rostock missed chances to capitalize, and a late dunk by Mark Smith (18 points, 6 rebounds) secured Ulm’s win while handing Rostock a second straight loss.
Würzburg takes down Frankfurt in high-energy performance
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets defeated SKYLINERS 80–66, strengthening their hold on fifth place in the standings while Frankfurt suffered their 18th loss and saw their play-in hopes fade. Frankfurt started strong with intense defense and hot outside shooting, hitting nine threes in the first half and building a 13-point lead. Würzburg responded and edged ahead at the break, 37–35. In the second half, Frankfurt’s offense collapsed, failing to make a single three-pointer, allowing Würzburg to take control. Frankfurt missed a chance to cut the deficit to four, and Würzburg answered with back-to-back threes from Davion Mintz and Brae Ivey to restore a double-digit lead. Marcus Carr and Isaiah Swope led all scorers with 17 points apiece, but Mintz (16 points) proved decisive with clutch shooting that sealed the win.
Ludwigsburg stop losing streak, beat Heidelberg
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg avenged their loss from earlier in the week and ended their three-game losing streak with a 83–79 win over MLP Academics Heidelberg, boosting their odds in the postseason race. Stefan Smith led the way with 30 points, including key three-pointers late in the game that helped Ludwigsburg pull ahead decisively. Heidelberg started stronger and held a narrow 40–38 halftime lead but failed to capitalize on its 19 total offensive rebounds. In the second half, Ludwigsburg improved their outside shooting and gradually took control, while Heidelberg struggled from long range, missing 19 of 20 attempts. In crunchtime, Smith hit consecutive threes to create a double-digit lead that Heidelberg could not overcome. Adding insult to injury, Academics lost Michael Weathers, who was ejected in the final minute. Ryan Mikesell led Heidelberg once again with 26 points.
Player of the Week
The top honor for Round 30 goes to Bryant Crawford of Basketball Löwen Braunschweig after the guard erupted for 29 points in 20 minutes off the bench to keep his team's BBL hopes alive. The 29-year-old sizzled with 8 of 10 shooting, including 6 of 7 from long range and a perfect 7 of 7 from the line, for a plus-31 efficiency and a second Löwen win in a row.
German Top Five of the Week
F: Oscar Da Silva, FC Bayern Basketball
Narrowly missing out on our Player of the Week honors, Da Silva nevertheless made sure to guide his FCBB side to an easy win at Trier by scoring a career high 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting to go along with 7 boards.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Another day, another double-double by NINERS engine Kevin Yebo, who led his team with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in a home win against Jena.
F: Malte Delow, ALBA Berlin
Delow set the tone for the birds with 17 points on 7 of 11 from the field in only 20 minutes, as ALBA took down Bonn in Berlin.
G: Elias Baggette, ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES
The young point guard put up 7 points, 5 assists and 2 steals as his Wolves were bested by Ulm.
C: Marcel Keßen, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Heidelberg's five man battled with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals, but it wasn't enough as Academics lost at home against Ludwigsburg.
Young Guns
Jack Kayil, 20, PG, ALBA BERLIN
ALBA's young floor general contributed a quiet 8 points and 3 assists in 16 minutes of action as Berlin cruised to an easy home win against Bonn.
Yannis Steger, 20, C, VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier
Trier's young big saw 2:23 minutes of action in the Gladiator's blowout loss against the defending champs and made 3 of 4 free throws for 3 points.
Germans Abroad
Isaiah Hartenstein (Oklahoma City), Dennis Schröder (Cleveland Cavaliers), Maxi Kleber (Los Angeles Lakers), Ariel Hukporti (New York Knicks), Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner and Tristan Da Silva (Orlando Magic) all took 1-0 leads in their respective first round series in the NBA. Maodo Lo scored a season-high 21 points while leading Zalgiris Kaunas to a fifth-place finish in the EuroLeague regular season. Daniel Theis put up 11 points and 6 rebounds for AS Monaco, who wrapped up in eighth place and will have to go through the play-ins.
