Basketball Bundesliga: Bamberg Baskets beat league rivals from Hamburg

This victory was eminently important! Bamberg Baskets beat their neighbors in the table, Hamburg Towers, 86:80 in a "battle of attrition" and preserved their chance of making the play-in games. The Towers are now just one win ahead of Bamberg in tenth place in the easyCredit German Basketball League. However, the home win means Bamberg has won the head-to-head tie against the club from northern Germany.

The game was truly not a pretty basketball match. A battle for every ball for 40 minutes, tough defensive work on both sides with plenty of nicknacks. And yet Bamberg still got the 4700 spectators on their feet with five dunks from strong center EJ Onu and Adrian Nelson. Otherwise, the many fouls stopped the flow of the game, with Bamberg's build-up players Malik Johnson and Trey Woodbury in particular suffering from the referees' controversial decisions. Johnson was sent off with five fouls in the third period, just as Bamberg had built a double-digit cushion for the first time. Hamburg struck back with a run to make it 72:67 - and Woodbury was also promptly sent off after fouling five players with eight minutes remaining. However, Bamberg did not give up without its real playmaker and although the visitors closed the gap to 81:80, Onu's slam-dunk and Nelson's lay-up finally sealed the game for Bamberg. Zach Copeland was again top scorer with 18 points.

Arne Woltmann (Head Coach Bamberg Baskets) commented: "When you win a game like that, it's a question of willpower. We kept the game on our side without two key players, who were out early on with five fouls, and won the head-to-head encounter. Our defensive performance in the second half was very good."

Bamberg Baskets face Alba Berlin on the road on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m.