The basketball players of Alba Berlin continue to lag behind the competition in the Euroleague. On Thursday evening, the Bundesliga club experienced a 71:106 (38:57) debacle against Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv at home in front of 7,751 spectators.
For Alba it was the 22nd defeat in the 27th game in the premier class and the highest home defeat in the club’s history. The best Berlin throwers were Johannes Thiemann with 14 and Sterling Brown with eleven points.
Alba let the game slip away after taking a 7-4 lead
In the first game after the disappointment at the Cup Final Four, the Bundesliga club looked like they could make amends in the first few minutes. The Berliners quickly took a 7:4 lead, but the flow of the game ended just as quickly. Alba now found it more difficult to defend against the guests, often trying from a distance, but scoring too rarely.
After an 0:11 run, the game was over in the first quarter. Now Alba was chasing a deficit that continued to grow. After around 16 minutes the score was already 26 points (23:49). The Berliners made too many mistakes, which Maccabi immediately punished with quick attacks. At times there was a difference in class between the two teams.
That didn’t change even after the break. The hosts tried hard, but were still inferior in all areas. By the middle of the third quarter the deficit had grown to 34 points (44:78). And the Berliners had no chance until the end.
