The basketball players from Alba Berlin suffered a defeat away from home in the Euroleague: On Tuesday evening, the Berlin team lost 87:93 (48:44) to the top Spanish team Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
However, the team showed a mostly strong performance, the decision in favor of the hosts was only made in the final minute.
Close game to the end
Five days after spectacular home win against Anadolu Efes Istanbul Alba also played well at Baskonia from the start. Jaleen Smith, who was in a strong mood recently, scored the first four Berlin points and thus laid the foundation for a balanced start – 10:11 after four minutes of play. The hosts then quickly pulled away to ten points, but allowed Alba to close the gap to 24:25 by the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Maodo Lo was inspired by Jaleen Smith and now scored the first six Berlin points. Lo was once again the standout player on his team, ending with 15 points, four assists and four rebounds. Alba was now the better team against the Euroleague playoff contenders from Spain, made good shots and thus also had a double-digit lead (38:27, 15th minute). But it was again Baskonia who kept their nerve, stayed close and let Alba’s lead shrink to 48:44 by the break.
A largely balanced third quarter with slight advantages for the hosts then created the basis for a close and competitive final quarter. Up until 1:40 minutes before the end of the game, the two teams were never separated by more than three points with several lead changes, so that the four points in a row from Baskonia’s center Maik Kotsar to 85:81 were already a small preliminary decision for the hosts. The Spaniards then perfected their success on the free-throw line. Alba Berlin, on the other hand, missed their tenth win in the 30th Euroleague game of the current season. This puts the Berliners in penultimate place, ahead of Villeurbanne.
Broadcast: rbb24, March 28, 2023, 9:45 p.m
