Veolia Towers Hamburg manages to take revenge for the cup defeat against Bamberg Baskets

It’s time to talk about the Veolia Towers Hamburg (5:3) – and speak extremely positively. The North Germans not only successfully took revenge for the defeat in the cup round of 16 33 days ago with a 94:90 win against the Bamberg Baskets (2:5), but also achieved their fourth win in a row in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga.

Game progression and turning points: What both opponents offered in the cup a month ago had little in common with the second edition of the duel in terms of quality. His level was much higher. This was most evident in the good teamwork in attack on both sides. At first Hamburg pulled away slightly, then Bamberg was first slightly ahead, then apparently comfortably ahead at 77:69 (34th). Rejoiced too soon! The Towers team at the start of the season, which suffered defeat after defeat, would probably have collapsed here. Especially since Aljami Durham, who had been setting the tone until then, was sitting on the bench, injured. But from here on, veterans Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann and Lukas Meisner took over, as did VJ King, a player who also had significant problems at the beginning of this season.

Duel in focus: Kantinger is hardly doing well. On the one hand, Aleksander Dziewa is one of the most dominant big men in the league, who also brings a lot of weight. On the other hand, Filip Stanic is the definition of a closet. So the centers didn’t give each other anything at all. Dziewa achieved his 13 points with finesse and a soft hand, which he garnished with six rebounds. Stanic simply overran everything that was naive enough to stand in his way on the way to finishing with 21 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Please pay: Bamberg shot better from the field (52:51 percent) and lost the ball less often (9:13). So what was it about? From a potpourri of rebounds (30:38), the weaker three-point rate (30:40 percent) and five fewer free throws (9:14).

Player of the game: An award that could go to many Towers players. But there can only be one (but pssst, there’s no matchday photo of it, which is why it appears in a category a little later). In this case, the choice fell on King, who played one of his best games to date in a Hamburg jersey: 16 points, six rebounds and a few big plays at the end.

The Germans: Meisner had some teething problems this season. But since the knot broke, things have been going well for the ex-national player. There were 13 points and five rebounds against Bamberg. Also noteworthy was the 20-year-old point guard talent Leif Möller, who played a crucial ten minutes and delivered three points and just as many assists. Behind Stanic, Kevin Wohlrath (7) and Patrick Heckmann (6) delivered acceptable performances for the Franconians.

On the edge of the gang: Niklas Krause (Hamburg) and Justin Gray (Bamberg) both sat out with knee problems.

Miscellaneous: But now! Finally to the actual story and the match winner of the game. So to WoBo. He lost a contact list in the opponent’s zone during the first quarter, but couldn’t find it again. Since the replacement pair were so well hidden in his car that no one else would have found them, the European Championship bronze medalist put on a jacket and sprinted out of the arena and through the rain to the parking lot to get the contact lists. After that, the center had the right insight, hit all four throws from the field, both free throws and was the most important player in crunch time.

What’s next: The Towers will host the Vilnius Wolves from Lithuania in the EuroCup on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.). Bamberg will meet the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig next Saturday (6.30 p.m.).

Video: Highlights about this game will be available shortly here at Dyn or also here on Dyn’s YouTube channel.