The Niners Chemnitz have found their way back to success and have defended their lead in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) for the time being. At the start of the second half of the season, the Niners won 99:77 (49:39) at the relegation-threatened MLP Academics Heidelberg on Saturday (January 27, 2024).
After a first quarter on equal terms, the Saxons laid the foundation for victory in the second period before clearing things up with a 29:7 run in the third quarter. With 33 points, Niners center Kevin Yebo was the game’s top scorer.
A week after the first home defeat of the season against Bayern Munich, the Niners (record 15:3 wins) managed to maintain their lead in the table ahead of Munich (12:3). Bayern will face Hakro Merlins Crailsheim, 17th in the table, on Sunday (3:30 p.m.).
Setback for Ulm
However, master ratiopharm Ulm suffered a setback. In the Swabian derby against the Tigers Tübingen, the top duo’s previous first pursuer was surprisingly defeated by 76:97 (48:56) and is in danger of slipping out of the top three in the league. Newly promoted Tübingen, on the other hand, gained some breathing room in the table with this respectable success and now has two more wins than Crailsheim in the first relegation zone.
The Ulm team also missed out on giving their long-time team captain Per Günther a “jersey retirement” gift. Before the game, the jersey of the guard, who ended his career in 2022 after 14 years in the service of Ulm, was pulled under the ceiling of the ratiopharm Arena. The number six of the 65-time national player is the first that the Ulm team will no longer wear in the future.