20
21:24
Mid-term conclusion:
After the first half it is 42:42 between Crailsheim and Berlin. Both teams got off to a good start in the game. Crailsheim kept trying to attack the ALBA basket and was sometimes only stopped by fouls. As a result, the magicians collected important points on the free-throw line. Berlin, on the other hand, managed to catch up with the Merlins’ initial lead through hot phases from behind the three-man line, so that the half-time break was balanced.
20
21:14
Crailsheim can equalize just before half-time. Terrell Harris finds Jaren Lewis, who misplaces the basket. But Fabian Bleck is not boxed out and puts the offensive rebound in the ring.
19
21:13
After a defensive rebound, Crailsheim picks up the pace again and gets an easy finish. Terrell Harris attacks Malte Delow at the basket, who can only stop Harris with a foul. Harris gets the Wizards back on track with two hit free throws.
18
21:10
Berlin can set itself apart a bit. Luke Sikma leads Christ Koumadje in the right low post, who goes over the middle against Fabian Bleck and finishes with a hook shot over Bleck. Of course, Koumadje has physical advantages.
16
21:06
Luke Sikma puts Berlin back in the lead. With a throw-in at the baseline, he is blocked free and converts Maodo Lô’s alley-oop pass with a dunk. However, the magician’s defense also fell asleep a bit.
15
21:02
However, Berlin is not very effective in the zone today. Luke Sikma plays the cutting Louis Olinde under the basket, but his finish is clearly wrong.
14
20:58
ALBA continues to score very well from outside. Luke Sikma gets the ball on the left low post and passes the ball out to Tamir Blatt, who sinks the next three straight away.
13
20:56
It can go that fast. Within two attacks, Tamir Blatt and Louis Olinde hit threes for the Albatrosses and put the favorite back in front.
11
20:54
Another strong performance by the magicians. Jon Gudmundsson gets a pass to Oscar da Silva and Michael Caffey makes a direct tempo on the fastbreak. At the basket, he lays it down again on Dejan Kovačević, who has run with him, and finishes with a layup.
10
20:51
Quarter conclusion:
Crailsheim leads after the first quarter with 27:23 against Berlin. The Wizards managed to keep attacking the Albatross’ basket and scoring points in the zone or from the free-throw line in the first ten minutes.
10
20:47
Crailsheim takes the lead through Harris, but ALBA can respond directly. Oscar da Silva gets the ball in the right low post against Jaren Lewis and pushes through to the basket. His first close misses, but he gets the offensive rebound and stuffs it through the ring.
8th
20:45
Again, the wizards in the zone manage to score. Terrell Harris uses a block from Fabian Bleck to get past Yovel Zoosman, so Johannes Thiemann has to help out at the basket. Harris puts down Bleck again and completes with a hook throw.
7
20:42
But Crailsheim cannot be shaken off at first because they aggressively attack the basket. Terrell Harris pulls past Malte Delow from above and puts the ball in the zone over the board into the basket.
5
20:40
That’s too easy for Berlin! Maodo Lô can pass the ball through the zone to Oscar da Silva under the basket. Da Silva even misplaces the first relatively free attempt, but can score points in the follow-up on the basket.
4
20:37
The two ALBA guards start hot from outside. After hitting his second three before, Smith plays the pass to Lô on the right wing, who sinks for three points.
3
20:35
Great played by ALBA! Berlin clears the left side to play a Maodo Lô pick-and-roll with Christ Koumadje. Lô finds the rolling koumadje in the zone for a free dunk.
1
20:33
Jaleen Smith scored the first points of the game. Christ Koumadje clears Smith on the left wing and he sends Luke Sikma’s pass through the ring.
1
20:31
Christ Koumadje wins the jump ball for Berlin.
20:30
Maodo Lô, Jaleen Smith, Malte Delow, Luke Sikma, and Christ Koumadje start for Berlin. Starting at Craislheim are Michael Caffey, Terrell Harris, Maurice Stuckey, Jaren Lewis and Richmond Aririguzoh. Crailsheim coach Sebastian Gleim is not there today.
20:22
Before the game, the roles for Merlins coach Sebastian Gleim seem to be clearly divided: “We need a miracle”. Of the previous twelve encounters against Berlin, Crailsheim could only win one encounter. But ALBA forward Johannes Thiemann also warns of today’s encounter: “Despite the injury to TJ Shorts, Crailsheim is a very good team that is now even more difficult to calculate. The Merlins are fighting for a place in the playoffs and will therefore do everything to to win.”
20:16
The EuroLeague season is also over for the Albatrosses. With a record of 12:16 victory, Berlin could not qualify for the playoffs and can therefore concentrate fully on defending the title. Despite being eliminated from the EuroLeague, ALBA does not have an easy schedule. The Albatrosses had to play four matches in the last eight days because they had to play a few catch-up games due to the many Corona failures. Nevertheless, Berlin was able to win all four games and is thus working ever closer to the top of the table. ALBA is in third place before the game, but also has the fewest defeats in the entire league. A win today could draw level with Munich in second place.
20:08
However, a lot has changed for the magicians since the cup final. Crailsheim was also eliminated from the Europe Cup shortly thereafter and also lost top performer TJ Shorts to a torn pectoral tendon for the remainder of the season. Additional corona infections led to the Merlins losing four games in a row and slipping out of the playoff spots. But the Merlins were able to find their way back on track with the signing of Michael Caffey, among other things, and have recently won three games in a row. The magicians are now in ninth place in the table and have only one win less than eighth-placed Goettingen. A win today could get you back into the playoff ranks.
20:00
The two teams met in this year’s cup final on February 20th. There, the Albatrosses were able to prevail against the well-playing Merlins with 86:76 and thus became the record cup winners.
19:56
Hello and welcome to the 12th matchday of the BBL! In today’s catch-up game, the HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim welcome the reigning champion ALBA BERLIN. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. in the Arena Hohenlohe. Have fun reading along!