Alba Berlin got off to a perfect start in the semi-final playoffs of the Basketball Bundesliga. The Berliners clearly won against the Bamberg Baskets.
Alba Berlin got off to a perfect start in the semi-final playoffs of the Basketball Bundesliga. The Berliners won against the Bamberg Baskets 105:86 (53:34) on Saturday in front of 6,051 spectators in the Max-Schmeling-Halle.
The best Berlin thrower was Jack Kayil with 18 points. Ibi Watson scored 16 points at Bamberg. Alba leads 1-0 in the best-of-five series. The next game will take place in the capital on Monday.
The game was very intense from the start and was initially very even. The defensive lines dominated – both teams found it very difficult to score points. The three-point throws in particular didn’t want to fall. And so neither team was able to break away until the beginning of the second quarter.
But then the hosts got rolling at 26:27 and worked themselves into a frenzy at times. They improved from minute to minute and the more Alba succeeded, the less things worked for Bamberg. Frustration began to spread among the Franks early on. With a 25:4 run, the Berliners pulled away before the break.
Alba pulls away with 34 points in the third quarter
Even after the break, Alba dominated the game. The hosts immediately smothered a brief rebellion from Bamberg. Shortly before the end of the third quarter they were within 34 points (78:44).
In the final section, Berlin’s head coach Pedro Calles rested his starters for a long time. Bamberg knew that the game had long been lost, but they regained their self-confidence and reduced the deficit to 19 points in the end – that could be important for the further course of this series.
Broadcast: rbb|24, May 30, 2026, 7:05 p.m
Audio: rbb|24, May 30, 2026, Jakob Lobach
