On Sunday (December 14th) the Veolia Towers will play their Christmas match day against ALBA Berlin in the Barclays Arena. The capital city team is currently the hottest team in the easyCredit BBL. Hamburg celebrated their last competitive win at the same place. The game starts at 6 p.m.
The starting position could hardly be more different. One, ALBA Berlin, has been unbeaten in all competitions since mid-October. The others, Veolia Towers, have shown improvement recently, but have not yet won any of the 18 competitive games this season. So it’s a classic David versus Goliath duel that the more than 7,000 fans who will stream into the Barclays Arena on Sunday (December 14th) will expect. And hopefully captivate you. Hamburg’s last two appearances in the largest multi-functional arena in Northern Germany have already shown that a big crowd can produce big games – despite very unequal starting points.
Worth mentioning
- Since the rise of Veolia Towers in 2019, there have already been 17 duels (3:14)Hamburg’s last win (97:80) came at the start of last season
- New addition Ross Williams celebrated last weekend 22 points and 4 assists a strong one BBL debut
- With 1,7 Steals per game Zsombor Maronka the third best ball thief in the easyCredit BBL
- The last victory of Veolia Towersdated to the 04.2025i.e. 239 days before the duel with the Albatrosses, succeeded against the eventual German champions FC Bayern Munich Basketball in der Barclays Arena
Personal Update
Despite the tight away program of three away games in just five days, the Veolia Towers picked up speed again after the national team break. Not only in Vechta (97:95, nV), but also in Manresa (99:72) and against Jerusalem (86:76), the Hamburg team were significantly more stable over long stretches. And thus continued the already improved performance against Ludwigsburg (84:88). What was still missing in all games, however, was success. The Hanseatic League want to overcome the last hurdle to their first success of the season as soon as possible.
The return of Osaro Rich brought more stability to the team, Ross Williams and Devin Williams always exude danger in the attack. The biggest drawback in the last few appearances was the three-point quota. The 26.3 percent (5/19) against Manresa was the maximum – against Vechta (5/36, 13.9%) and Jerusalem (3/19, 15.8%) the yield was even lower. And the Hanseatic League also left too much behind from the free throw line, where the rate across all games was 53.8 percent.
Adversary insights
After initial difficulties, ALBA Berlin is currently the German team of the moment. The capital city team, coached by ex-Hamburg player Pedro Calles, won eleven competitive games across all competitions. And thus temporarily secured third place in the easyCredit BBL table and a place in the round of the best 16 teams in the Basketball Champions League. Even the departure of former top scorer Boogie Ellis was of no consequence. Quite the opposite: veteran Martin Hermannsson (14.1 ppg), currently injured, and youngster Jack Kayil (11.1) really blossomed.
With the “Swiss Army Knife” strength profile, Justin Bean has now fully established himself. The exceptional athlete, who is at times inconspicuous, averaged 10.4 points with 6.0 rebounds and strong rates (58.3% 2-pointers, 38.5% 3-pointers). In general, the Berliners are extremely accurate – which is substantiated by their 48.2 percent field throw rate, the best in the league. The main reason for this: The shots are usually very well prepared, which is underlined by the 21.9 assists, also a BBL record.
Tickets still exists from 12.50 euros in the online ticket shop – here, however, only until Sunday, 12 p.m. Afterwards, tickets are only available at the Barclays Arena box office (next to entrance E2). The box office opens at 4 p.m. – payments can only be made cashless (card payment, mobile payment).
transmission Dyn will show the game live from the Barclays Arena as usual – the broadcast starts at 5:45 p.m., the commentator for the game is Richie Bielau. With the Winter deal at the end of the year Basketball fans can experience all the games live – for the price of 15 euros for one month. The offer is valid until January 5th, 2026. In addition, it brings Dyn Sport Mix the game free on Amazon Prime Video, Zattoo, Joyn, Pluto TV and Astra.
