Defending champion Alba Berlin has continued its winning streak in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) play-offs.
After the “sweep” in the quarterfinals against Brose Bamberg, the winner of the main round also won the first duel with the MHP giants Ludwigsburg in the round of the last four with 89:84 (45:43).
National player Maodo Lo was the best Berlin thrower with 20 points, Tamir Blatt made the decision with a three-pointer 58 seconds before the end.
In the hard-fought first half, the favorites didn’t manage to break away significantly. Alba almost completely lost the nine-point lead in the 19th minute (45:36) before the break.
In the third quarter, the Berliners pulled away again to nine points with an 8-0 run, but Ludwigsburg fought back and even took the lead in the last section.
After the 3-0 win in the first round against ratiopharm Ulm, it was the first defeat in the play-offs for the guests. Jordan Hulls (26) and James Woodard (24) were the Giants’ top scorers.
On Sunday (6:00 p.m. / MagentaSport) the two clubs will meet again in game two in Berlin.
The second semi-final between Telekom Baskets Bonn and Bayern Munich begins on Sunday (8:30 p.m. / MagentaSport).