Gabriele Procida cleans you up Photo: picture alliance / Eibner press photo
By Nicolas Sowa
Alba Berlin has won an important victory in the basketball Bundesliga and regained the lead in the table. On Sunday evening, the Berliners won the new edition of last year’s semifinals at the MHP giants Ludwigsburg with 83:77 (41:38).
For Alba it was the fourth competitive win in a row. The best Berlin thrower was the outstanding Jaleen Smith, who scored 28 points against his former club. Maodo Lo got 17 points.
Jaleen Smith was the outstanding player in the hall with 28 points Photo: picture alliance / Eibner press photo
A fast-paced game developed from the start. The Berliners got off to a better start and quickly took the lead by 11:3. Alba acted concentrated and very variable on the offensive. Tamir Blatt (thumb) and Yovel Zoosman (shoulder) were injured, while Yanni Wetzell (back) and Johannes Thiemann (knee) were in the squad but were not used.
As the playing time increased, the hosts got into the game better and hit their shots – especially from distance. In the middle of the second quarter they equalized again to 30:30. The duels were often heated. And the Berliners didn’t always agree with all the referee’s decisions. However, they went into the break with a narrow lead.
Maodo Lo with light violet. Didn’t stop him from 17 points Photo: picture alliance / Eibner press photo
Even after the change of sides, the game remained balanced. The Berliners, for whom it was the fourth game in just nine days, lost a lot of turnovers and were able to compensate for this with good defence.
After almost 28 minutes, Ludwigsburg took the lead for the first time (53:52), but Alba had an immediate answer. With just under six and a half minutes to go, they led by two digits for the first time (73:62). And the defending champion couldn’t take that anymore.