Round 29 of the easyCredit BBL saw a few teams officially stamp their postseason ticket. Weißenfels and Vechta continued their winning ways and are even thinking play-in. Elsewhere, Academics Heidelberg can dream again after a much-needed W to keep their BBL hopes alive.
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:
MBC keep pushing for play-ins after besting Towers
A 99-94 comeback win against Veolia Towers Hamburg has SYNTAINICS MBC not only increasingly looking like they will be able to avoid relegation, but suddenly aiming for the play-ins. Hamburg took a 9-point lead with 9 minutes to go, before the home team ran off a 33-19 fourth quarter en route to their fifth win in the last six games that has them sitting at 12-17. Hamburg has played one less game and are 12-16. Wolves guard Charles Callison (23 points, 8 assists) took over down the stretch, while Hamburgs Devon Daniels IV matched him bucket for bucket with 25 points in a losing effort. Khyri Thomas contributed an efficient 21 points on 9/15 shooting to the win.
Vechta set new record, keep eyeing postseason
RASTA Vechta set a new season high with 123 points while cruising to their third win in a row, 123-97 against VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier. In a battle of high-octane offenses, both teams traded blows until the hosts used a decisive 26-3 run spanning the last two quarters to pull away for good. Vechta is in 10th place at 14-15 while Trier (16-13) is now one of three teams with 16 wins. Tevin Brown (21 points) and Tommy Kuhse (20) were Vechtas best scorers, while the league's third best scorer Alonzo Verge Jr. stayed hot with 17 points. Triers Jordan Roland netted 28 points to briefly inch ahead of Chris Clemons for first on the BBL scoring leaderboard - before Clemons responded with a big performance of his own on Monday.
ALBA trashes Ludwigsburg, again
After last week's BCL elimination, ALBA Berlin took out their frustration on Ludwigsburg for their second blowout win in two meetings this season, 101-77 on the road this time. A defensive masterclass propelled the visitors to a
77-59 advantage after three quarters. Berlin dished out 20 assists against only 12 turnovers and officially stamped their postseason ticket. ALBA remains in second place at 20-8, while Ludwigsburg is 15-13. All twelve ALBA players scored, with Martin Hermannsson and Alex O'Connell leading the way at 15 apiece. Justin Bean surpassed 750 points in the BBL. Elijah Hughes paced Ludwigsburg with 20 points.
FCBB stop slide, add to Chemnitz woes
FC Bayern Basketball had lost three in a row domestically for the first time since 2023. They made sure to not make it four by downing NINERS Chemnitz at SAP Garden, 91-77. Both Teams scored well in the first half (46-45) before Pesic's side clamped down defensively and took control midway through the second half on a 14-5 run. Munich moved to 21-5 atop the table, while Chemnitz fell to 12-16, two wins behind the play-in spots. Xavier Rathan-Mayes (16 points), Justinian Jessup and Oscar Da Silva (15 apiece) were three of six Bayern players in double figures. Eric Washington led the way for Chemnitz with 15 points.
Würzburg dominate in Jena
A convinving 87-69 road win at Science City Jena has Fitness First Würzburg Baskets thinking Playoffs. Brae Ivey came off the bench to rattle off 8 straight points in the second quarter en route to a team-high 17 (including 4/6 from three) that paved the way for Sasa Filipovski's squad. Würzburg dominated on defense and allowed a paltry 40.4% from the field, while shooting 30/62 themselves. Davion Mintz also scored 17 points on 5/9 FG from the field. Uchenna Iroegbu was Jena's top bucket getter with 15 points. Würzburg (16-12) is now one of three teams with 16 wins, while Jena keep fighting for their lives at 10-18, only two wins away from relegation.
Bamberg halts Ulms home winning streak
A stirring 89-73 triumph at ratiopharm ulm saw BMA365 Bamberg Baskets clinch a postseason berth while stopping Ulm's impressive six game home winning streak. The tide turned in the third quarter, with Bamberg locking down on the defensive end and only allowing 32 second half points. Ibi Watson (18 points), Cobe Williams (15), Demarcus Demonia (12) and Zach Ensminger (10) all scored in double figures for Bamberg, which remains in third place at 19-10. Tobias Jensen led the home team with 17 points, Ulm dropped to 16-12.
Bonn start slow, roll Braunschweig late
Telekom Baskets Bonn made up for lost time with a decisive 27-7 run spanning the second and third quarters that turned an early double digit deficit into a 96-85 home win against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Bonn controlled the boards and forced 14 turnovers but committed only 6 themselves. At 19-11, Baskets officially clinched a postseason berth while sitting comfortably for home court advantage in Round 1. Braunschweig remains in a heap of trouble at 6-22 and in last place. Joel Aminu with 25 points and Jeff Garrett Jr with 21 both shot well over 50 percent from the field. Bryant Crawford led Braunschweig with 21 points and 6 assists.
Heidelberg survive in Frankfurt, hopeful to avoid relegation
MLP Academics Heidelberg are not giving up in their bid to remain in the easyCredit BBL. A resounding 93–73 win against SKYLINERS reduced the gap to Jena to just two wins. Given their precarious situation, the visitors showed intensity and resolve, while the SKYLINERS never really showed up. Carlo Finetti's team made 11/24 three pointers and dished out 28 assists on 36 field goals. Ryan Mikesell led the way with 24 points on ultra-efficient 7/11 shots, to go along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Michael Weathers added 16 points and 8 helpers. Tyger Campbell was Frankfurt's best scorer with 15 points while his team lost ground in the fight for the postseason.
Oldenburg prevail at home in a nail-biter
In a battle of play-in hopefuls, EWE Baskets Oldenburg pulled out a close 81-79 win at home against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES and remain within reach of the tenth spot. The game was close throughout, with neither team able to sustain a lead for long. Nicholas Tischler's three pointer put the host team up one with 34 seconds to go. DeAndre Lansdowne missed a last second game winner for the visitors, who now sit at 14-13, while Oldenburg is 13-16.
Thunderbirds point guard Chris Clemons nudged ahead again in the race for the scoring crown with a game-high 28 points on 10 of 18 shooting, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. D'Shawn Schwartz led the Wolves with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
Player of the Week
The top honor for Round 29 goes to Ryan Mikesell of MLP Academics Heidelberg after the forward put up 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists on 7 of 11 shooting in the team’s much needed win at SKYLINERS. The Ohio product made 4 of 6 from long range and added one steal and block apiece for an impressive 33 efficiency.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Joel Aminu, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Aminu erupted for a season-high 25 points in 27 minutes to go along with 4 assists on 4/9 from three point range while leading his team to victory against Braunschweig.
G: Zach Ensminger, BMA365 Bamberg Baskets
The Bamberg guard came off the bench to pour in 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting and put up a +17 in 21 minutes to help his Baskets end Ulm's home winning streak.
F: Oscar Da Silva, FC Bayern Basketball
A cool, calm and collected 15 points on 7 of 9 field goals from Da Silva, for an easy FCBB home win to get back on track.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo put up a double-double in Chemnitz’s loss at SAP Garden with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
C: Maik Zirbes, VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier
Another big game by Zirbes, who scored 14 points with 5 rebounds on perfect 5 of 5 shooting and 4 of 4 from the free throw line, but couldn't stop his Gladiators from losing big in Vechta.
Young Guns
Christian Skladanowski, 21, SF, Fitness First Würzburg Baskets
New career high for Christian Skladanowski, who surpassed his previous best by four points and ended as Würzburgs third leading scorer with 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting in a crucial win.
Jack Kayil, 20, PG, ALBA BERLIN
Business as usual for Berlin's point guard prodigy, who put up 5 points and 5 assists for a +9 in 17 minutes as his team won in a landslide at Ludwigsburg.
Julis Baumer, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
In that same game, RIESEN youngster Baumer saw 19 minutes of action and scored 5 points with 1 steal while going 0/4 from three point range.
Germans Abroad
Four German players qualified directly for the NBA Playoffs: Isaiah Hartenstein (Oklahoma City), Dennis Schröder (Cleveland Cavaliers), Maxi Kleber (Los Angeles Lakers) and Ariel Hukporti (New York Knicks) will begin their respective first round series next weekend, while Orlando's trio of Franz and Moritz Wagner alongside Tristan Da Silva first have to survive the play-in tournament in order to qualify.
