Basketball Bundesliga
Alba manages revenge against Bayern
Alba’s top scorer in the win against Bayern: Sterling Brown (l). photo
© Andreas Gora/dpa
Just five days after the clear bankruptcy in Munich, Alba Berlin successfully took revenge. This means that the Berliners go into the playoffs as second in the table.
Despite the defeat, Bayern remain leaders in the Bundesliga and will always have the home advantage in the upcoming playoffs; Berlin will go into the finals in second place.
As in the first leg, Munich’s defense was extremely good: the Berliners only hit one of their first eleven throws from the field and had only scored three points after seven minutes. The game changed with the reserves: the home side reduced the lead to 12:17 at the end of the quarter, defended more strongly in the second half and went into the locker room with a 30:28 lead.
18-0 run in the last six and a half minutes
After the break, a hard-fought game continued. Bayern found a rhythm, hit their three-pointers and went on an 11-0 run to take the lead to 48:37. In the final period, the Berliners gained the momentum, Martin Hermannsson gave Berlin their first lead since the middle of the third half with a three-pointer a minute and a half before the end of the game. The hosts didn’t allow any points in the last six and a half minutes and decided the game with an 18-0 run.
After the Berliners set a negative record in this BBL season with 53 points in the last meeting, Bayern have now equaled it. With just eleven points, Berlin’s Sterling Brown became the best thrower of the game.