Author: Horst Schneider
The headline above European Cup Wednesday reads: Revenge! All three Bundesliga teams active on Wednesday will face opponents who caused them bitter defeats in the first half of the season.
This week in Europe
Tuesday, 3:00 p.m: Weißenfels – Donar Groningen (ENBL)
Tuesday, 5:30 p.m: Würzburg – Patriots of the Left (BCL)
Tuesday, 6:00 p.m: Besiktas Istanbul – Ulm (EC)
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.: Heidelberg – ERA Nymburk (BCL, the Tuesday preliminary reports can be found here)
Wednesday, 7:45 p.m: Hamburg – Neptunas Klaipeda (EC)
Wednesday, 8:30 p.m: München – Baskonia Vitoria (EL)
Wednesday, 8:30 p.m: London Lions – Chemnitz (EC)
Thursday, 6:00 p.m.: Patrioti Levice – Würzburg (BCL)
Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: ERA Nymburk – Heidelberg (BCL)
Friday, 8:15 p.m.: Olympiacos Piraeus – München (HE)
The Veolia Towers Hamburg have the chance in their own hall to make up for a win against Neptunas Klaipeda that slipped from their grasp in the last minutes of the first half of the season in Lithuania. Bayern (photo above: Christian Schlüter) host Baskonia Vitoria, which significantly accelerated FC Bayern Basketball’s disastrous series of defeats in the EuroLeaque seven weeks ago. The NINERS Chemnitz are visiting the Lions in London, against whom they suffered a very unfortunate home defeat in the first half of the season.
EuroCup: Veolia Towers Hamburg – Neptunas Klaipeda (Wed, 7:45 p.m.)
The status quo: The Towers, still winless in Group A (0-12 wins), no longer have a chance of reaching sixth place and thus the playoffs. Neptunas (5-7), on the other hand, in eighth place, still has three teams with just one more win ahead of them.
First leg: After three heavy opening defeats, Hamburg’s visit to Lithuania on matchday four was the first in which the Towers had a chance of winning. Powered by LJ Thorpe The Hanseatic League in Klaipeda were only 80:83 behind with five minutes left, but after the US guard’s fifth foul everything went against the Towers and Neptunas won with 20 points Donatas Tarolis 97:88 left.
Stars: Trainer Gediminas Petrauskas had to make some changes since the first leg. Jordan Tucker and James Karnik have left the team. Martyn Pacevicius will probably be out injured until the end of the season. Additional commitments from Nationalcenter Egidijus Mockevicius and Aurimas Majauskas As the new starter on the four, the gaps should be filled. In addition to the Lithuanian power forward, national center is now starting Donatas Tarolis (13,6 PPG). Arnas Velicka has the Latvian as a dominant playmaker in the backcourt (14.1 PPG and 7.6 APG). Rihard Lomaz (17.1 PPG) as the top scorer at his side.
Current Form: Neptunas had no chance on Sunday in the Lithuanian league against defending champion Zalgiris with 77:112, but remains third in the table with 8-5 wins. Only Rihard Lomaz scored double digits with eleven points in Kaunas.
Old friends: Harrison Cleary played for Rist Wedel in 2022/23 and helped out with a dual license for the Towers, especially in the EuroCup. Arnas Velicka played (as in 2021) in Braunschweig last season and for Chemnitz in 2022/23. The Latvian Rihard Lomaz played for Göttingen in 2021, for Oldenburg in 2022/23 and for Bonn last season. Zane Waterman played briefly in Göttingen in 2019.
Livestream / TV: All BKT EuroCup and EuroLeague games will be broadcast live and on-demand on MAGENTA SPORT this season. Arne Malsch comments on the broadcast from Hamburg from 7:30 p.m.
EuroLeague: FC Bayern Basketball – Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (Fri, 8:30 p.m.)
The status quo: Together with Bayern and Baskonia, four other teams with a record of 6-13 wins each start the second half of the season in places 15 to 20. The fourteenth-placed Maccabi, last defeated by Bayern, already has two more wins to their name, and Real Madrid in the tenth and final play-in place is already five wins ahead of the bottom six.
First leg: A week after the bitter defeats against Barcelona (74:75) and at Efes (72:74), Bayern’s 73:95 defeat in Vitoria on matchday 12 was a demoralizing low blow that accelerated Munich’s downward spiral. After the first quarter thanks to early threes from Andreas Obst (14) even had a lead of 26:14 TJ Parker Coached Bayern lost their lead at half-time and couldn’t find their way back to success even after the break. Directed by Kobi Simmons (14) and Markquis Nowell (12) war Timothe Luwau-Cabarrot Baskonia’s top scorer with 18 points.
Stars: After the injury to the now recovered Trent Forrest (9.6 PPG and 5.6 APG) the originally only signed as an interim guard Kobi Simmons (10.0 PPG and 3.2 APG) established himself as the starter at the number one position. Simmons and Forrest find support in the backcourt Markus Howard (11,3 PPG), Matteo Spagnolo and the additional commitments made in December Eugene Omoruyi, on the wing leaves coach Paolo Galbiati his top scorer Timothe Luwau-Cabarrot (19.7 PPG) continues to come off the bench. The newly signed Lithuanian jumps in the first five Gytis Radzevicius for his injured compatriot Tad Sedekerskis into the breach. The starters change in the frontcourt Rodion Kurucs and Khalifa Diop with Clement Frisch and Mamadi Diakite ab.
Current Form: In the Spanish league, Baskonia has climbed to seventh place (8-5 wins) with four wins in a row since Christmas, which would entitle them to take part in the lucrative Copa del Rey. On Sunday we beat Andorra 99:92 Kobi Simmons and Timothe Luwau-Cabarrot the top scorers with 19 points each.
Old friends: Matteo Spagnolo played for ALBA BERLIN in the last two seasons.
Livestream / TV: All EuroLeague games this season will be broadcast live and on-demand on MAGENTA SPORT. Michael Körner comments on the broadcast from the SAP Garden from 8:00 p.m. Tobias Wahnschaffe moderates and Alex Vogel is the expert.
EuroCup: London Lions – NINERS Chemnitz (Wed, 8:30 p.m.)
The status quo: With three wins in a row and now 6-6 wins in Group B, the NINERS have climbed to sixth place, which would entitle them to take part in the playoffs (round of 16). London follows in seventh place.
First leg: The from Kevin Yes (17) led NINERS made up a 38:50 deficit and led 67:66 with seconds left. In an attempt to increase the lead, committed Corey Davis However, an offensive foul, which the referees reinterpreted as a normal foul during the last timeout. Instead of a throw-in for London, there were now free throws for the Lions with four seconds left Kameron McGusty (20) to win 68:67.
Stars: London defeated Besiktas three weeks ago without their injured stars Cameron MvGusty (15.0 PPG) and Joel Scott (12.5 PPG), who are expected to still be missing on Wednesday. The current first five should consist of the recovered US playmaker Shavar Reynoldsnational player Admin Adam, Aaryn Rai as well as the Big Men Deane and Jonathan Williams consist. Coaches remain the most important bench players Tautvydas Sabonis alongside the experienced national player Pull Phillip (11,0 PPG) der US-Guard Chasson Randle and the Lithuanian forward Karolis Lukosiunas.
Current Form: The Lions, who are undisputed at the top of the table in the British Super League with 11-2 wins, qualified for the final of the League Cup (“Trophy”) with two wins over the Bristol Flyers (77:58 and 77:76) at the weekend. Chasson Randle was the top scorer with 15 and 14 points on Friday and Sunday.
Old friends: Johnathan Williams strengthened Chemnitz in the frontcourt in February 2021 for the rest of the season. Deane Williams won the Champions League with Bonn in 2022/23. In 2023/24 he played in Oldenburg and last season until March for Ludwigsburg. Joel Scott (currently injured) played for Ludwigsburg last season.
Livestream / TV: All BKT EuroCup and EuroLeague games will be broadcast live and on-demand on MAGENTA SPORT this season. Markus Krawinkel comments on the broadcast from London from 8:20 p.m.
