28′
9:50 p.m
ALBA has great difficulties in the last few minutes, the players with the ball are pushed far away from the basket. It is Malte Delow who can end the hosts’ 9-0 run. But Harper immediately follows up with a threesome…
27′
9:49 p.m
It is becoming increasingly physical on the court, both teams are acting more and more physically, trying to put their opponents under pressure. The foul limit is almost reached, a lot of things go over the free throw line…
27′
9:47 p.m
For the last four minutes, Matt Thomas comes back onto the court for the Berliners; ALBA now needs his safe shots in order to be able to keep up the pace.
26′
9:45 p.m
Nevertheless, the momentum seems to be on the home team’s side at the moment, with the second balls mostly ending up in the hands of the Valencians. In addition, Coach González’s men lost several easy balls, so they have to quickly build on their security from the first three or four minutes of the third quarter.
25′
9:43 p.m
Both teams are struggling in attack, the defenses continue to provide excellent entertainment. Regardless of whether it’s rotation or switching, it’s really worth seeing how they defend against the ball.
24′
9:41 p.m
That wasn’t well defended… There were only 0.9 seconds left on the shot clock for Valencia, but Olinde just looked at the ball and lost sight of his opponent, who he could then only foul. The Albatrosses are not rewarding themselves for a strong defensive sequence.
24′
9:38 p.m
Thiemann has the mismatch against Robertson in the low post, the Berliners recognize that immediately and know how to take advantage of it. The big goes to the line twice after a foul…
23′
9:36 p.m
It’s a shame, Sterling Brown was able to tap out the next ball and control it, but he probably had his toes on the line so that the ball remained with the home team.
23′
9:35 p.m
Sterling Brown! The Albatrosses come out of the locker room awake, it wasn’t a good pass from Jones. Brown intervenes and records the steal with his fingertips. The dunk at the end is also impressive, and the Valencia trainer has to intervene with a time-out.
22′
9:33 p.m
Strong! Thiemann wins the running duel and gets the ball free. The rotation starts, but ALBA quickly gets the ball, Spagnolo with the extra pass, which Brown then completes for three.
21′
9:32 p.m
Into the second half, Valencia starts and immediately relies on more power in the rebound.
21′
9:31 p.m
Start of 3rd quarter
20′
9:20 p.m
Half-time conclusion:
Valencia leads ALBA Berlin 41:39 at the break. Both teams started in lockstep, neither team was able to gain a decisive lead. Instead, the opponents decided not to play at a fast pace; open throws were to be created with a lot of discipline and long plays. But the Albatrosses made a lot of missed throws, especially from half-distance, not much came together in the first quarter. However, the home side repeatedly struggled with Berlin’s structured defense, so the game continued to be on equal terms. With a lot of offensive rebounds, the capital city team made numerous second and third throws, then returnee Matt Thomas ran hot and scored a strong 13 points. The guests even took the lead, but were unable to defend it. Nevertheless, everything is still open here, so far the favorite from Valencia is stumbling. But will he also fall or will the lead last? See you soon!
20′
9:15 p.m
ALBA takes too long to get into the system, Thiemann has to take an emergency throw. But it doesn’t fall, the hosts will have the last attack.
20′
9:14 p.m
After two successful throws from the line, Brown makes it a draw again. A very disciplined first half is coming to an end, but recently both teams have repeatedly had problems with the 24-second clock, the defenses are presenting the offense with major challenges…
19′
9:11 p.m
ALBA’s seven offensive rebounds are a strong number, which to some extent compensates for the mediocre yield of two-point throws. Meanwhile, Semi Ojeleye continues to score for the home team, unfazed, and he also puts his third long-distance throw into the basket.
18′
9:10 p.m
What a move from Guillem Ferrando! Davies ties two people in the box and puts the ball out to the baseline. Help comes, Thiemann goes to the block, but flies past. With the stepback, Ferrando then moves behind the three-point line, but fails just at the ring.
17′
9:07 p.m
Once again perfectly defended! Schneider pushes Davies away in the box, Olinde anticipates the passing path and is able to intercept the ball. With the attack sequence, Spagnolo attacks Harper and asserts himself in the drive. With two throws from the line he puts his team in front.
16′
9:05 p.m
Returnee Matt Thomas is getting more and more hot: he already has 13 points with just one missed throw from the field, and the capital city team remains at eye level. Valencia coach Mumbru reacts with a time out to stop ALBA’s emerging run.
16′
9:03 p.m
Brandon Davies misunderstanding! He can no longer control the tip pass, on the other hand Matt Thomas sinks another three-point shot from distance…
15′
9:02 p.m
The match is increasingly gaining pace, Jared Harper is putting pressure on him from his own half and can only be stopped in his drive on the right side with a foul. In addition to the two free throws, it is also the fourth team foul with six minutes left on the clock.
14′
8:59 p.m
Although the guests from Germany have already allowed themselves six turnovers, the game remains evenly balanced here. The reason for this remains the dedicated cover work, the help comes reliably, the rotation is right.
13′
8:57 p.m
Ex-Valencian Matt Thomas is disturbed at work and makes contact with his arm during an open three-pointer. This means he goes to the line three times – all throws fall confidently.
12′
8:55 p.m
Matteo Spagnolo has made good throws from the baseline twice in a row, only the offensive rebounding has been mediocre so far.
11′
20:54
Let’s continue, ALBA opens with possession of the ball. The best scorer so far was Louis Olinde with eight points. If Olinde can build on that, then the Albatrosses would be helped before the break.
11′
20:53
Start of 2nd quarter
10′
20:53
Quarter conclusion:
In the first ten minutes, both teams feel each other out, and their opponents are secure on defense. There is hardly anything that beats speed play; safe attacking play with a structured structure is preferred. This should initially suit the albatrosses, who have been on equal terms so far. Nevertheless, the Berliners missed many good chances, so there is still room for improvement.
10′
20:51
The final attack belongs to Valencia again, but Jones fails from the parking lot at the ring.
10′
8:50 p.m
The Berliners are wasting it! Bean takes the throw after the shot clock expires, but ALBA immediately secures the next possession at the back.
9′
8:49 p.m
Strong! No-look, Jones plays the hard pass into the box, the ball goes through three defenders and lands at Damien Inglis. He completes the dunk, but the foul had already been called against Jones, who goes to the line twice.
8th’
8:48 p.m
The Berliners miss good opportunities several times, but they always secure the rebound. JT was the starting point, after which several mid-range throws didn’t fall, but Olinde once again comes from outside to throw for three.
7′
8:45 p.m
The teams take it easy, both rely on a structured game structure. Coach González’s team tries to achieve drives or get JT into position with a broad style of play.
6′
20:41
Very focused! Louis Olinde can use Spagnolo’s screen. He gets to the ball in the middle position, defender Touré isn’t there in time and misses the block. The shot falls for three in an exemplary manner.
5′
8:40 p.m
The Albatrosses are secure in defense, but the ALBA troops are not yet finding any opportunities to make easy shots. At the moment there are many signs that this is an open fight and not a high scoring match…
5′
8:38 p.m
After an action by Thiemann on the three-point line, where he would have liked to have received the whistle for a foul, the Spaniards went for a fast break, which Semi Ojeleye was able to convert for a three.
4′
8:37 p.m
With a drive from Reuvers, the Valencia big gets a free throw in the box, which he converts safely. But such scenes are rare in the early stages.
3′
8:36 p.m
So far there has been little that is spectacular, both defensive departments are focused on closed positions. With quick footwork and accurate switching, there are hardly any open throws.
2′
8:35 p.m
That’s how she sees it Starting five from: Valencia coach Álex Mumbrú sends the following five into the race: Reuvers, Jones, Touré, Robertson and Ojeleye. ALBA coach Israel González relies on Brown, Spagnolo, Nikić, Olinde and Thiemann in the initial phase.
1′
8:32 p.m
Let’s go, the duel between Valencia and ALBA Berlin is on!
20:26
It’s worth taking a special look at ALBA guard Matt Thomas: he once wore the Spaniards’ jersey, which should be a special moment for him today. In 2019 he won the EuroCup final with Valencia, against ALBA in the third game in that same La Fontenta stadium. The guard was the top scorer at the time with 19 points, and today he will return to the Berlin jersey. In the Albatross club interview, Thomas emphasized that a “physical game” between two strong teams is expected.
8:17 p.m
But the Spaniards are also increasingly playing in a flow: with only one defeat per competition, coach Álex Mumbrú’s team has gotten off to a really good start and is largely keeping pace with its national rivals from Madrid. While there was a surprising defeat at Efes Istanbul in the EuroLeague, the Valencians made a real statement in the domestic league on Sunday. At home they won the top game against FC Barcelona, led by a strong point guard Jones, who scored 17 points. With a comparable performance it should be difficult for the Berliners today, so the Spaniards could continue to establish themselves at the top of the table.
8:08 p.m
However, coach Isreal González’s team travels to Spain with a lot of tailwind, most recently they overthrew the promoted team in the domestic league, which had somewhat surprisingly established themselves at the top of the table. A clear 98:80 victory was achieved in front of a Berlin backdrop, but that was only the beginning. Because it was precisely on this Monday that the Albatrosses Göppingen played against the wall in their own hall and won an outstanding score of 77:114. Many processes went well, the Berlin team around top shooters Thiemann and Koumadje seemed well adjusted. This will be continued today in the difficult away task.
19:59
Things are still not going well in the capital on the international stage. After five defeats, some of them significant, the Berliners were able to get their first win at home against Milan last week. An important liberation, the ALBA team is currently only in second to last place in the strong EuroLeague. But today’s guest appearance in Valencia should, on paper, be the biggest challenge of the current season for the Bundesstadt team.
7:50 p.m
Hello and welcome to the sixth game day of the Basketball EuroLeague! The ALBA basketball players from Berlin are playing in Valencia, Spain, tip-off is at La Fontenta at 8:30 p.m.!