VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier and SYNTAINICS MBC extended their winning streaks to six and five games respectively while FC Bayern Basketball bounced back from their first loss of the season with two victories. Another highlight this week was ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES getting another big win - knocking off ratiopharm ulm.
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:
Trier keep on rolling, have no problem with Bamberg for 6th straight win
VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier extended their winning streak to six games as they had no problems with BMA365 Bamberg Baskets in a 92-79 home win. Trier built a 12-point lead in the first quarter and it grew to 16 in the second period with the hosts never threatening in the game. Trier jumped to 6-1 on the heels of league leaders FC Bayern Basketball while Bamberg fell to 4-4. Trier shot 51 percent for the game and held Bamberg to 40 percent shooting with the visitors unable to use their 47-34 rebounding advantage including 20 offensive boards. Jordan Roland scored 20 points in the win while Moritz Krimmer and Marten Linßen both had 12 points. Hason Ward and Richard Balint each had 17 points for Bamberg.
Wolves tie club record with fifth straight victory, end Frankfurt’s four-game win streak
SYNTAINICS MBC kept their strong run going as they tied a club record of five straight victories with a 77-73 home win over SKYLINERS, who saw their four-game win streak end. Frankfurt grabbed an 11 point lead early in the second half but watched Weißenfels gradually pull ahead in the final 5 minutes. And the hosts hit free throws down the stretch to win and move to 6-2 while Frankfurt fell to 4-2. Wolves, who won five straight Bundesliga games in 2014-15, 2024-25 and 2025-26, grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to help make up for 39 percent from the field and making just 14 of 27 free throws. Frankfurt for their part connected on just 19 percent from long range. DeLonnie Hunt paced six Wolves players in double figures with 18 points and Jure Planinic had 11 points and 9 rebounds. Judah Mintz top-scored for Frankfurt with 18 points and Till Pape had 16 points and 5 rebounds.
Seawolves strike again: After beating Bayern, Rostock take down Ulm
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES struck again as they followed up their surprise win over FC Bayern Basketball by beating ratiopharm ulm 97-87 at home. Rostock had a monster first half and led 58-45 at the break before building their lead to 21 points midway through the third quarter. Ulm charged back into the game and trimmed the gap to 1 point with 7 minutes to go. But Rostock put the game away with the next nine points to improve to 5-3 while Ulm fell to 3-5 with five losses in the last six games. Rostock dominated the glass 45-34 and shot a solid 48 percent for the game. Artur Konontsuk led the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds while Zach Copeland had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and TJ Crockett added 16 points and 4 assists. Armel Traore was outstanding at the other end with 25 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
Bayern allow only 7 third quarter points in blowout win at Würzburg
FC Bayern Basketball gave up only 7 points in the third quarter as the league leaders blew out Fitness First Würzburg Baskets 94-73 on the road. Würzburg trailed only 49-39 at halftime but Bayern took the third quarter 33-7 to blow the game open for good. Bayern improved to 7-1 while Würzburg fell to 4-3 after having won four of their last five games. Bayern shot 57 percent for the game and held the hosts to 41 percent from the field. Oscar da Silva and Duane Washington both scored 13 points and Justinian Jessup had 11 points and 5 assists. Sam Griffin had 18 points in a losing effort.
Bayern bounce back, blow out Braunschweig in Round 2 make-up
FC Bayern Basketball bounced back from their first loss of the Bundesliga season by blowing out Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 108-66 at home in a Round 2 make-up game. Bayern took over the game with a 35-20 second quarter to improve to 6-1 while Braunschweig have dropped four in a row for a 3-4 mark. Braunschweig shot just 32 percent for the game and lost the rebound battle 59-35 with Bayern grabbing 21 offensive rebounds. Austin Riley collected 17 points and 10 rebounds, Justinian Jessup had 17 points and Kamar Baldwin tallied 10 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. Zaba Bangala had 14 points off the Braunschweig bench.
Oldenburg rally at home over Ludwigsburg, end four-game losing streak
EWE Baskets Oldenburg rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 74-72 at home to snap a four-game losing streak. Oldenburg wasted an 11-point third quarter lead but won the game on Nate Johnson’s free throws with 17 seconds to go. The shots improved to 4-4, the same record for Ludwigsburg after back-to-back losses. Oldenburg held Ludwigsburg to just 38 percent shooting, including 24 percent on three-pointers, while also connecting on only 55 percent free throws. Johnson poured in 28 points with 6 three-pointers off the Oldenburg bench while Demajeo Wiggins collected 11 points and 12 rebounds. Ish Leggett did a bit of everything with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.
Berlin shut down Hagen in second half, win fourth game at home
ALBA BERLIN took care of business at the defensive end in the second half as they rolled past Phoenix Hagen 102-72 at home. After giving up 47 points in the first half, Berlin shut down Hagen to a 27-11 third quarter en route to the win. Berlin improved to 4-4 as they shot 55 percent for the game and Hagen, who made just 36 percent from the field, dropped to 2-6. Jordan Ford paced Berlin with 18 points and Joe Wieskamp had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Trenton Gibson scored 19 points in a losing effort.
Foster's career high 26 points carry Bonn past Braunschweig
Telekom Baskets Bonn kept pace with the top teams in the league with a 97-87 home victory over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, who have now dropped five in a row. The visitors raced away to a 35-22 lead after 10 minutes but saw Bonn get closer and closer until pulling ahead in the fourth quarter. Bonn used an 11-2 run to decide the game and improve to 5-3 with three wins in the last four games while Braunschweig fell to 3-5. Bonn shot a blistering hot 57 percent from the field, including 68 percent on two-pointers. Marcus Foster led the way for Bonn with a career-high 26 points and Michael Kessens added 15 points and 5 rebounds. Devin Askew scored 20 points in the loss.
Kuhse, Lewis lead Vechta past Chemnitz at home
RASTA Vechta received 43 combined points from Tommy Kuhse and Matt Lewis in registering a 99-90 home victory over NINERS Chemnitz. The game was close for about 25 minutes before Vechta surged at the end of the third quarter to lead 78-64 thanks to a 33-14 frame. They carried that to a win to improve to 3-5 while Chemnitz fell to 2-6. Vechta not only out-shot Chemnitz 50 percent to 45 percent but also out-rebounded them 49-31. Kuhse wasn’t far from a triple-double with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists while Lewis had 21 points and Tibor Pleiß added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Stef Smith tallied 23 points and 7 assists in the loss.
Hamburg beat Jena to snap five-game losing skid in relegation zone battle
Veolia Towers Hamburg grabbed an important victory in the relegation battle by beating Science City Jena 91-87 on the road to snap a five-game losing streak. The visitors led 32-18 after 10 minutes and the advantage was 10 points midway through the fourth quarter. Hamburg led by two points inside the final 15 seconds but iced the game by twice splitting two free throws. Hamburg improved to 2-6 while Jena have lost four in a row for a 2-6 record. Hamburg forced Jena into 18 turnovers and made 39 percent of their three-pointers. Mathys Kangudia led Hamburg with 24 points, Osaro Rich added 16 points and new addition Jahvon Blair chipped in 11 points and 6 assists. Terrence Edwards came off the Jena bench for 19 points.
Hamburg react to slow start, add Gary and Blair
Veolia Towers Hamburg reacted to their slow start to the season and a rash of injuries by signing Juwan Gary and Jahvon Blair until the end of the season. Hamburg had lost five straight game for a 1-6 record, and it was unclear if David Muenkat can play this week, joining Noah Thomasson and Zakai Zeigler as injured absences. The 25-year-old wing Gary comes to Hamburg from Pau-Lacq Orthez in the French ProA league after debuting in Europe with Belgian club Spirou Charleroi. Blair is 28-year-old Canadian playmaker who played last season in France with Roanne.
Player of the Week
The top performance from Round 8 came from Artur Konontsuk of ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. The power forward earned Player of the Week honors for collecting 22 points on 8 of 12 shots and 3 of 3 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block for an efficiency of 30 in a win over ratiopharm ulm.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Bjarne Kraushaar, Phoenix Hagen
Kraushaar makes the Top Five again as he collected 8 points, 1 rebound and 8 assists against ALBA BERLIN.
G: Julius Böhmer, ALBA BERLIN
Böhmer scored a career-high 13 points to go with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal off the bench against Phoenix Hagen.
F: Moritz Krimmer, VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier
Krimmer collected 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block against his former team BMA365 Bamberg Baskets.
C: Bent Leuchten, ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES
Leuchten scored 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in Rostock’s win over ratiopharm ulm.
C: Tibor Pleiß, RASTA Vechta
Pleiß tallied 13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in Vechta’s win over NINERS Chemnitz.
Young Guns
Richard Schmitt, 19, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Schmitt played his fourth game in the Bundesliga, getting into the game against Phoenix Hagen for 3:21 minutes and picking up 3 points on 1 of 1 three-point shooting and 1 assist.
Niko Jerkic, 19, SF, FC Bayern Basketball
Jerkic played in his second game with the professional team and played 5:32 minutes against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and had 3 points on a 1 of 1 shooting from long range and 1 assist.
Paul Plato, 17, PF, Fitness First Würzburg Baskets
Plato made his Bundesliga debut against FC Bayern Basketball and played 5:42 minutes, scoring 1 point on 1 of 1 free throws with 2 rebounds.
Germans Abroad
Ivan Kharchenkov had a night to remember to start his sophomore season with the University of Arizona. The former FC Bayern Basketball talent had a monster game in the Wildcats’ 84-75 loss to UCLA, scoring a career-high 38 points and 10 rebounds, finishing 12 of 20 from the field and 12 of 16 from the free-throw line.
