Thursday 28 October 2021
Prestige duel in the Euroleague
Basketball players in Bavaria take revenge on Alba
Unlike football players, basketball players from Bayern Munich succeed. In the first meeting of the season, they clearly defeated long-term rivals Alba – and sealed the open score. The “disappointing” bankruptcy of Berliners only strengthened in the last quarter.
Basketball players from Bayern Munich took revenge on Alba Berlin in the Euroleague. The ailing German champion took the trophy 82:69 (37:36) and polished his turn on Tuesday against previously undefeated title candidate Armani Milan. Additionally, as demanded by their president Herbert Hainer, Bayern settled the final series’ loss against Alba for the championship title with their fifth consecutive competitive game win.
Bayern led by only one point after the first half, and in the third quarter they started to come out with seven points. Outstanding American Daron Hilliard (25 points) achieved his best stage. Bayern coached by Andrea Trencheri is now playing in the Euroleague with three wins and four defeats, and the goal is to return to the play-off. The previous year, Munich advanced to the quarter-finals.
Alba, who had a poor start in the Bundesliga and finished only 11th in the table, fought back and fought his way up, leveling Johannes Thiemann 55:55 in the sweltering heat. 4,658 spectators arrived at the Mercedes-Benz Arena: they saw how the 4:14 run in the last quarter sealed Alba’s fifth defeat in the seventh game. Recently, the champions lost at Olympiacos Piraeus. The best pitcher from Berlin was Modu Lo with 23 points. But the national player did not have the support of his teammates against Bayern’s vicious defense. Only Luke Sikma (10) scored double points in the Alba team managed by Israel Gonzalez. “It’s a disappointing defeat,” Low said at Magenta Sport. “We had our rhythm but in the end Bayern made the important throws. The last two or three minutes were crucial.”