Alba Berlin
Alba Berlin crashes the favorite Olympiacos Piraeus
Difficult to hold: Maodo Lo (left) against the Greek Giannoulis Larentzakis.
Photo: Eibner-Pressefoto/Uwe Koch / picture alliance / Eibner-Pressefoto
Alba Berlin rushes from victory to victory, now for the ninth time in a row. Olympiacos Piraeus was also defeated 90:75.
Berlin. Alba Berlin’s winning streak has also lasted against one of the favorites in the basketball Euroleague. Coach Israel Gonzalez’s team defeated Olympiacos Piraeus in front of 4,000 spectators in the Mercedes-Benz Arena after an inspiring performance with 90:75 (37:30), their fourth consecutive victory in the premier class, their ninth in all competitions. “I’m proud, it’s good to win against such a top European team,” said Maodo Lo, the man of the evening.
From the start both teams fought a bitter battle with little referee intervention. The guests hit very badly at first, but got six offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone (Alba only one), which explains their 17:16 lead. However, it was noticeable that the Berliners had played their last game a week ago – they were accordingly fresh, full of energy and apparently well prepared.
Maodo Lo collects 27 points for Alba Berlin
They found their rhythm better now, equalized the rebound duel and scored. The outstanding Maodo Lo (27 points), Jaleen Smith (15) and Oscar da Silva (10) converted from distance, a 10:0 point run from 24:28 to 34:28 turned the event around. The game was also nice to watch – because Alba passed the ball so quickly that Olympiacos could hardly keep up. There was no sign of the fact that three key players, Louis Olinde, Marcus Eriksson and Yovel Zoosman, were injured.
Of course, the favorite didn’t want to give up in Berlin, strengthened his defense work again and seemed to take command at 37:36 shortly after the break. The German champions defended themselves again, leading after 28 minutes 55:46 after a three by Tim Schneider, the biggest lead in the game – until then. The Berliners increased again, they continued to score especially in difficult situations when they needed points.
Maodolo’s goal to make it 85:68 with two and a half minutes left removed the last doubts, when Malte Delow converted a three pointer seconds before the end, the fans cheered enthusiastically. In this form, Alba is even a candidate for the Euroleague play-off.
Read more about Alba Berlin here.
