Two-time reigning champions FC Bayern Basketball have locked up first place in the standings and with it home court advantage throughout the playoffs after beating ALBA BERLIN and RASTA Vechta. The week also saw Basketball Löwen Braunschweig stave off relegation for now while Telekom Baskets Bonn have secured a playoffs spot.
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:
Bayern use late surge to down Berlin in Round 27 make-up, lock up first place
FC Bayern Basketball locked up first place in the regular season - and with it home court advantage in the playoffs - as they knocked off ALBA BERLIN 85-79 at home in a Round 27 make-up game for their sixth straight win. Bayern led by 11 points in the second quarter but were trailing early in the fourth quarter before the hosts went on a 13-1 run to decide the game. Bayern jumped to 26-5 while Berlin saw their four-game win streak end for a 23-9 mark. Andreas Obst scored 18 points to lead Bayern and Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Malte Delow had 15 points off the bench to lead Berlin, who only got 32 points from their starters.
Rathan-Mayes’ near triple-double helps Bayern slow down hot Vechta
FC Bayern Basketball extended their winning streak to seven games by knocking off RASTA Vechta 84-82 at home to end the visitors’ five-game win streak. Vechta built a 10-point lead in the first quarter but trailed at halftime. The rest of the game was tight with Xavier Rathan-Mayes hitting a dagger three-pointer with 11 seconds left to lead 84-80. Bayern improved to 27-5 while Vechta fell to 16-16. Rathan-Mayes flirted with a triple-double in collecting 20 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists to lead Bayern while Andi Obst scored 20 points and Oscar da Silva contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds. TJ Bamba paced Vechta with 21 points.
Bonn lock up playoffs spot, put up century mark in Frankfurt
Telekom Baskets Bonn have locked up a spot in the playoffs as they bounced back from their loss to ALBA BERLIN by rolling past SKYLINERS 104-72 on the road. Bonn led by 12 points after 10 minutes and never looked back in moving to 20-12 while Frankfurt have dropped five straight for a 12-20 mark. Alijah Comithier paced seven players in double figures with 17 points and Jalen Finch scored 16 points. Jacob Holt picked up 17 points in the loss.
Würzburg take down Ulm at home, grab tiebreaker
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets leapfrogged ratiopharm ulm for fourth place in the standings and secured the tiebreaker advantage over Ulm with a 98-84 home win. After a tight first half, Würzburg turned the game around for good with an 18-3 run early in the third quarter. Würzburg had lost their last two games - including a 31-point blowout defeat at SYNTAINICS MBC - but improved to 18-14. Ulm have been slumping, losing five of their last seven games for an 18-15 mark. Davion Mintz poured in 25 points as Würzburg’s top scorer and Marcus Carr added 19 points and 8 assists. Christopher Ledlum had 18 points to lead Ulm.
Ulm make first addition for next season: Liedtke returns as ProA Youngster of the Year
ratiopharm ulm have made their first addition for next season as they will see the return of former talent Lenny Liedtke. The 22-year-old signed on a two-year contract as he comes to Ulm from playing this season with Bayreuth in the second division ProA, averaging 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. Liedtke was named as the ProA U22 Youngster of the Year for this season. Liedtke played for Ulm in the youth ranks including the NBBL and ProB. He also played for Germany at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022.
Braunschweig not dead yet after winning OT thriller over Ludwigsburg
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig staved off relegation for at least one more round after beating MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 98-97 in overtime to go into the final week of the regular season still alive to stay in the league. Braunschweig used a 12-0 run spanning the fourth quarter and overtime to move to 9-23. David N'Guessan collected 21 points and 10 rebounds and Joshua Obiesie added 16 points for the winners. Ludwigsburg missed a chance to lock up a spot in the Play-Ins as they fell to 17-15 despite Stef Smith's 26 points and Traveon Buchanan hitting 19 points.
Heidelberg still alive in relegation battle, Wolves out of post-season picture
MLP Academics Heidelberg remained alive in the race to stay in the league as they fought past SYNTAINICS MBC 80-75 at home to eliminate the guests from the post-season picture. The game was tight throughout with Heidelberg holding the biggest lead of nine points early in the second half. But the rest of the game went back and forth and the hosts converted all eight of their free throws in the final 48 seconds to get the win. Heidelberg had lost two in a row but moved to 9-23 while Weißenfels fell to 13-19 after having had won three of their last four games. Marcel Keßen came off the Heidelberg bench for 17 points and Osun Osunniyi and Ryan Mikesell both had 13 points in the win. Jure Planinic and Khyri Thomas both scored 18 points and Nemanja Djurisic added 10 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort.
Rostock end losing skid, Jena miss chance to avoid relegation
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES ended their five-game losing streak by registering an 89-79 home win over Science City Jena, who missed an opportunity to secure their spot in the Bundesliga next season. Rostock raced ahead by 10 points after the first quarter and Jena were never really able to challenge. Rostock improved to 15-17 while Jena fell to 11-21, unable to build on the win over VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier with now six losses in the last seven games as they try to stave off relegation. Kassim Nicholson led the way for Rostock with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Lukasz Kolenda added 13 points. Joe Wieskamp was on fire with 6 three-pointers and 32 points but they were not enough for Jena.
Chemnitz remain in post-season race after win in Berlin
NINERS Chemnitz have picked the right time to get hot as they defeated ALBA BERLIN 84-82 on the road to stay in the running for the post-season. Chemnitz surged ahead by 13 points in the first quarter and led the first 25 minutes mostly in double digits. Berlin however surged ahead in the final frame and led 82-80 inside the final minute. Eric Washington knotted the game and Corey Davis made the game-winning free throws with 5.9 seconds to play. Chemnitz have won three of their last four for a 15-17 record while Berlin lost their second game of the week and fell to 23-10. Kevin Yebo led six Chemnitz players in double figures with 18 points and Amadou Sow added 15 points. Jack Kayil scored 19 points in a losing effort.
Oldenburg waste 17-point lead, fight past Trier to stay alive
EWE Baskets Oldenburg kept alive their chances of reaching the post-season by defeating VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier 98-95 on the road despite wasting a 17-point lead. Brian Fobbs scored 21 points and Nicholas Tischler had a career high 21 points among six Oldenburg players in double figures in a thrilling game in Trier. Oldenburg improved to 15-17 with their fourth win in the last five games as the Play-Ins are still there for the taking. Trier picked the worst time for a four-game losing streak in falling to 16-16 despite Behnam Yakhchali Dehkordi's 20 points and 19 each from Clay Guillozet and Marten Linßen.
Bamberg roll past Hamburg for fifth straight win
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets will be heading into the post-season in strong form as they eased past Veolia Towers Hamburg 85-71 at home for their fifth straight victory. Bamberg wasted no time in taking control of the game with a 16-point lead in the opening frame and never giving Hamburg a chance. Bamberg’s record moved to 22-10 and Hamburg fell to 13-19 and thereby dropping out of the race for the post-season. Demarcus Demonia collected 19 points and 9 rebounds and Cobe Williams and Richard Balint both added 17 points in the win. Devon Daniels had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in the loss.
Player of the Week
The top performance this week came in a loss as Joe Wieskamp took home Player of the Week honors in Science City Jena’s loss at ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. Wieskamp registered an efficiency of 34 as he scored 32 points on 11 of 20 shots and 4 of 4 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Andreas Obst, FC Bayern Basketball
Obst played a major role in Bayern picking up two wins this week. He had 18 points with 4 three-pointers against ALBA BERLIN and then tallied 20 points 3 three-pointers 3 rebounds and 3 assists versus RASTA Vechta.
G: Joshua Obiesie, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Obiesie collected 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in Braunschweig’s big win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
F: Nicholas Tischler, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Tischler tied his career high with 21 points to go with 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal against VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier
F: Michael Rataj, ALBA BERLIN
Rataj has been a strong late addition to the team as the 22-year-old had two strong games. He had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against FC Bayern Basketball and then 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal against NINERS Chemnitz in his fourth and fifth games with the team.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo helped keep Chemnitz in the post-season hunt with 18 points and 3 rebounds against ALBA BERLIN.
Young Guns
Jack Kayil, 20, PG, ALBA BERLIN
Kayil had two more strong games with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against FC Bayern Basketball and then 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against NINERS Chemnitz.
Adrian Petkovic, 21, PG, BMA365 Bamberg Baskets
Petkovic collected 2 points on 0 of 2 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 1 steal in 9:27 minutes versus Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Jamie Edoka, 18, SG, SKYLINERS
Edoka played 15:04 minutes versus Telekom Baskets Bonn and contributed 3 points on 0-2 shooting and 3 of 4 free throws and 1 steal.
Germans Abroad
Three Germans players have been invited to the NBA Draft Combine from May 10-17 in Chicago. Hannes Steinbach, Christian Anderson Jr and Jack Kayil were among the 73 players to receive invitations for the camp. All three have registered for the NBA Draft next month. It’s unclear if Kayil will be able to attend the camp since ALBA BERLIN will be playing their final regular season game on May 10, and the playoffs start a week later.
