Basketball - Alba Berlin stops negative run against Zalgiris Kaunas
Alba Berlin's basketball team has halted its negative run. After losing six competitive games in a row, the understrength Berliners won 64:62 (25:28) at home against Lithuanian series champions Zalgiris Kaunas in front of 5566 spectators in the Euroleague on Tuesday evening. It was Alba's second win in its twelfth game in the top flight. World champion Johannes Thiemann was Berlin's best scorer with 16 points.
Head Coach Israel was still without the injured quartet of Sterling Brown, Matt Thomas, Louis Olinde and Ziga Samar. The decimated team also fell behind from the outset against Zalgiris. The club from Berlin trailed by 16 points after just seven minutes (4:20). The home side found it very difficult, especially under the basket.
However, Alba improved in defense and the Lithuanians now also had problems scoring. Berlin came back after a 9:0 run and fought its way back to within three points by half-time. However, a total of just 53 points were scored in a weak game in the first half.
Both offenses also remained pale after the break. However, Alba fought back and was able to tie the scores at 59:59 with just under two minutes remaining. The game was then decided with 6.7 seconds remaining when Jonas Mattiseck drained a three-pointer to give his side its first lead of the game. The visitors missed the last shot.
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- Despite the victory, Alba Berlin still sits at the bottom of the Euroleague standings, having suffered a compulsory match defeat against Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv earlier in the season.
- Johannes Thiemann, the World champion from Germany, led Alba Berlin's attack against Zalgiris Kaunas from Lithuania, scoring a notable 16 points in the game.
- The negative run for ALBA Berlin, a prominent German basketball team, extended to their encounters against international opponents, including a loss against Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem earlier this season.
- The victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Berlin marked the first time that the two teams met in the Euroleague since the Lithuanian team secured a win during the 2019-2020 season, which was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The improbable victory against Zalgiris Kaunas put an end to a 13-game losing streak for Alba Berlin in the Euroleague, conducted amidst a season witnessed by reduced capacities and stringent safety measures due to the pandemic in all arenas across Europe.
Source: www.stern.de
