Jaleen Smith (right) was next to Tamir Blatt with 13 points the best thrower from Berlin Photo: picture alliance / Live Media
From BZ/dpa
Alba Berlin has won a surprising victory in the basketball Euroleague. The capital city won at favorite Emporio Armani Milan on Friday evening 80:74 (38:30, 70:70) after extra time.
For the German champions it was the deserved second win in the second game. The best Berlin throwers were Jaleen Smith and Tamir Blatt with 13 points each.
The Berliners, where the slightly injured national player Maodo Lo was rested, initially benefited from the consistency in the squad. They were in rhythm right away. The attacks ran more smoothly and the defense was also right. Milan, on the other hand, struggled. Alba pulled away to 33:16 until the middle of the second quarter.
Gabriele Procida aims for three points Photo: picture alliance / Live Media
Only now did the Italians increase in intensity. A phase followed with many ball losses on both sides, in which the hosts came up. The lead of the Berliners shrank to 38:30 at the break.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Alba initially held up well. But as the game progressed, Milan regained their aggression. The lead shrank to three points before Jaleen Smith went 60-51 with six points in a row.
The partially broken game remained balanced. Alba briefly led in double digits, but Milan came back again. It went into overtime at 70-70. Both teams continued to make many mistakes. In the end, it was a long three-point shot by Tamir Blatt that gave Alba the win.