Basketball: Brose Bamberg loses strong game against Bayern in last second

Brose Bamberg was only one second away from a huge sensation! One second before the end of the game, Bayern's Vladimir Lucic hit a three-pointer from the right corner and sealed Bamberg's 72:73 defeat. And this despite the fact that the Bamberg team played a strong game away from home at cup winners FC Bayern Munich and still led 72:68 with one minute to go.

Since Würzburg Baskets, the main rival for the eighth play-off spot, won their game 86:85 after trailing by 21 points, Bamberg's play-off chances are dwindling to a minimum. With four games left to play, the Lower Franconians have two fewer losses than Bamberg - and have won the direct comparison. However, coach Oren Amiel's team still believed in their play-off chances, as they showed in their visit to the Audi Dome. Thanks to a 10:0 run and five points from Jaromír Bohačík, the Bamberg team turned a 2:5 lead of the cup winners into a 12:5 lead. Over a 23:15 lead, the Bambergers kept the upper hand against the erratic Munich team, but could not convert their seven offensive rebounds in the first half into enough points, nor did the Amiel boys consistently punish the seven ball losses of the home side. Thanks to Gerel Simmons' eleven points, Bamberg went into the dressing room with only a one-point lead.

After the restart, the home side took the lead again for the first time since the opening minutes with a three-pointer. Chris Sengfelder and Gerel Simmons did not let Bayern pull away, hitting their distance throws and securing a 57:57 before the final period. The last quarter was characterised by strong defensive lines on both sides, and both teams had to work very hard to score. The home side was ahead, but Bamberg scored thanks to Sengfelder, Miller and top scorer Bohačík to go on a 9:1 run, leading 72:68 with 108 seconds to go. The Bavarians punished a bad pass by Patrick Heckmann with a dunk for 72:70, Patrick Miller missed his shot in return. With 30 seconds left to play, the Bavarians missed the ball four times, but Bamberg could not secure a single rebound. In the fifth shot, 1.7 seconds before the end, Lucic's three-pointer fell in for 72:73. Bohačík's last throw with the siren only banged on the basket ring.

Oren Amiel: "I realise that Munich had a game two days ago. Nevertheless, you first have to perform and play against them the way we did. We had a chance to win the game until the final seconds. Probably one more rebound would have been enough, so it's another tough loss."

On Sunday, 23 April 2023, Brose Bamberg will have to face fourth-placed EWE Baskets Oldenburg away from home. Jump in the EWE Arena is at 6 pm.

Further information at www.brosebamberg.de and www.easycredit-bbl.de.