Alba Berlin suffered its first defeat of the season in the basketball Bundesliga. On Sunday, the defending champion lost 95:96 (43:45) to BG Göttingen. In the fifth game in just eleven days, Alba lacked strength and concentration at the end. The best Berlin throwers were Jaleen Smith with 17 and Gabriele Procida with 15 points.
Coach Israel Gonzalez handed captain Luke Sikma and Tamir Blatt a break, with winger Louis Olinde back in the squad after recovering from injury.
The game started out tough at first, with many foul whistles. Only in the middle of the first quarter did the game flow more. Especially with the hosts, who get three successful distance throws in a row. Suddenly Alba was 7:13 behind. And the Berliners were usually just behind in the first half. Too many technical mistakes kept costing them turnovers.
After the change of sides, Alba came into play more offensively, in the middle of the third quarter the guests were able to pull away for the first time (60:54). But Göttingen remained unimpressed and continued to score – especially from a distance. The Berliners also allowed too many offensive rebounds from the hosts. It stayed that way until the end.
The decision only came with the final siren when Yovel Zoosman missed the last throw. The two opponents will face each other again next Sunday in the quarter-finals of the BBL Cup at the same location.
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Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
