Hamburg Towers can’t get their defense problems under control. In the guest appearance in Crailsheim, the Hanseatic city conceded – despite a very good quarter-final – once again more than 90 points and with 84:92 has to accept the fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions. Hakro Merlins continue their positive trend from the FIBA Europe Cup and get the third win of the current season easycredit BBL.
Gameplay and turning point: After Hamburg Towers had always conceded more than 100 points in the last three games, the goal for the game in Crailsheim was of course clear. The defense should have held, but Raoul Korner had to call a time-out after a full 15 minutes to tell his team to move to the defense more quickly. Crailsheim pushed hard after his own rebound, scored quick and easy points with layups, and quickly led 38:24.
Korner’s talk didn’t really look fruitful, however, as Jaren Lewis and Otis Livingston increased Crailsheim’s lead to 20 points (53:33) at the half.
However, the expected defiant reaction from the Towers after the restart did not materialise. Hamburg could not stop the aggressive thrusts of the Merlins players or could only stop them with fouls and so the gap grew further (36:61, 23′). Three points by James Woodard and Lukas Meisner pulled Hamburg back within 20 points late in the third quarter, but Crailsheim’s success was never seriously threatened. Even though the Merlins opened the door for a comeback in the final quarter (12:24 p.m.), the mortgage the Towers had built up in three quarters was simply too great.
Duel Featured: Kendale McCullum is the centerpiece of Hamburg’s game. Of course, it’s no secret, but Crailsheim coach Sebastian Gleim attached great importance to the restriction of the playmaker’s circles from the very beginning. Otis Livingston and Edon Maxhuni cared so much about McCullum that he didn’t record a single point, rebound or assist in the entire first half.
Although the Hamburg star had six points, one rebound and three assists in the second half of the game, the direct duel between the playmakers went to Crailsheim. The duo Livingston / Maxhuni achieved “only” 16 points together, but gave decisive accents in defense.
Player of the match: Aruna’s Mikalauskas! The Lithuanian showed what was probably his best game in the Merlins shirt and, above all, was offensive. 20 points on seven of eleven field goals, three rebounds, six assists and three steals translate into a 25 effectiveness rating. That, coupled with a +/- rating of +29, makes Mikalauskas the player of the game.
Pay please: The Merlins have allowed their opponents 50.6% shooting range so far this season, the worst in the league. Very solid defense, especially over three-quarters, was the main reason this time it was only 43 percent that the Burgers allowed a pass rate on the field. In addition to their defense, the Rooks will be bugged by 19 turnovers.
What’s next: During the week, the Crailsheimers travel to Voluntari in Romania, where they can go on their own to the second round of the FIBA Europe Cup. The national competition continues next weekend with a home game in the MAGENTA SPORT BBL Cup against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Towers will have a two-week break in the Bundesliga for now, having already been knocked out in the cup. Niners Chemnitz will not make a guest appearance in Wilhelmsburg until 11 December. Until then, there are two EuroCup engagements: first in Paris and the following week at home against Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Video: There are highlights of this game here at the top right under “Videos” or here MAGENTA SPORTS.
