Basketball Bundesliga: Bamberg Baskets clinch third home win

Bamberg Baskets make it difficult for themselves in their 97:87 home win over Crailsheim Merlins. After leading by 22 points at one stage, Bamberg let the visitors close the gap to four points shortly before the end of the game. Top scorer Zach Copeland held his nerve with six points in the final 50 seconds to secure victory.

Bamberg played strongly and superiorly against the bottom club in the table for 25 minutes and quickly built a double-digit lead with a varied game in offence. The home side was particularly dominant and confident under the basket, landing almost three-quarters of all two-point shots in Crailsheim's basket by half-time. And since the home side was also in good form from beyond the arc and drained five of its eleven threes, it was 55:39 after 20 minutes. Bamberg continued to defend tightly after the break and Filip Stanic made it 62:40 with a slam-dunk. Yet Bamberg then simply wanted to hold on to its lead, whereas Crailsheim suddenly hit even the wildest threes. The visitors closed the gap point by point to 88:84 with 56 seconds remaining. However, the defensively strong Patrick Heckmann stole the ball from Crailsheim's Brandon Childress in the next attack and played a long pass to top scorer Zach Copeland - the decider! In addition to Copeland and Stanic, Karsten Tadda, Adrian Nelson and Trey Woodbury also scored in double figures.

Bamberg Baskets can equal their points tally with a win on the road at Tigers Tübingen on Friday, 22 December 2023. Tip-off is at 8 pm.