The basketball players from ALBA Berlin suffered a heavy defeat at the end of the first half of the season in the Euroleague. The Bundesliga team lost to the Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus at home in front of 11,265 spectators after a weak second half with 67:94 (43:40).
In 17 games in the premier class, ALBA only won three wins and remains second to last in the table. The best Berlin throwers were Matt Thomas with 15 and Matteo Spagnolo with eleven points.
Before the game it was initially emotional: Luke Sikma, who served the Berlin team for six years, most recently as captain, was celebrated by the fans and honored by manager Marco Baldi. The 34-year-old, who moved to Piraeus in the summer, thanked us.
ALBA only scored eight points in the third quarter
The game initially started very evenly. At the end of the first quarter, ALBA, which worked well on defense and scored effectively at the front, was able to pull away for the first time.
In the middle of the second period the lead grew to eleven points (34:23). But Piraeus responded with significantly more physicality in defense and Berlin’s lead melted again at the break.
This continued after the break. ALBA hardly managed anything offensively – only eight points in the third quarter. The hosts literally collapsed. Piraeus, on the other hand, scored almost at will.
At the start of the last quarter the deficit grew to 20 points (53:73). This meant the game was decided early.