- Hamburg handedly defeats Alba Berlin in their initial confrontation
Alba Berlin's Basketball Team Suffers First Season LossThe Berlin squad faced a surprising defeat in their initial match of the season, losing to their league competitors, Veolia Towers Hamburg, with the score of 81:74 (44:38). Matteo Spagnolo led Berlin's scoring with 14 points, and Jonas Mattisseck followed closely behind with 13 points.
Ziga Samar, out with a persistent injury, was unable to participate, along with Matt Thomas and Martin Hermannsson. The return of Italians Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida, injured towards the end of the previous season, and the debuts of Trevion Williams (from ratiopharm Ulm) and Will McDowell-White (New Zealand Breakers) in the Alba jersey marked the team's new additions.
Hamburg Gets Their Winning Shot
Berlin encountered significant challenges in maintaining offensive consistency for an extended period. Miscommunications, turnovers, and missed shots contributed to Berlin falling behind by a substantial margin. Their defensive lapses also proved troublesome. Despite improvements in the second half, closing the gap to just two points at times, Hamburg always managed to respond effectively.
Coach Israel Gonzalez still has some tweaks to make before the official start of the season on September 22 against Hamburg Towers. Before then, Alba will face another test match against league rivals Rostock Seawolves on September 17 at 5:00 PM in Bernau.
Despite Alba Berlin's loss, their new additions Trevion Williams and Will McDowell-White showed promising performances. Disappointingly, Hamburg's victory was primarily due to their consistent offensive play and effective responses to Berlin's comeback attempts in basketball.
