After 13 years in the upper house, the basketball Bundesliga club medi Bayreuth is the first relegated team from the German elite class. Due to their 96:102 (39:49) home defeat against the MLP Academics Heidelberg, the Franconian bottom team can no longer prevent falling into second division in the last three games of the main round. In the final spurt of the season, Fraport Frankfurt, second to last in the table, has the worst cards of all four candidates for the second relegation zone.
Meanwhile, the MHP giants Ludwigsburg entered the play-off round prematurely as the fifth team. The southern Germans won against Frankfurt’s relegation rivals Syntainics MBC Weißenfels 104:100 (92:92, 63:50) and benefited from the 76:108 (29:57) defeat of the Rostock Seawolves at Pokalsieger in their qualification for the knockout phase Bayern Munich. While the Seewolves had to accept a damper on their play-off ambitions with their second defeat in a row, Munich celebrated their eleventh win in a row.
Before Ludwigsburg, Telekom Baskets Bonn, defending champions Alba Berlin, Munich and EWE Baskets Oldenburg had already been confirmed as participants in the play-offs for the top eight teams.