There are three games to be played on December 17-19, with one playoff ticket on the line. Dinamo Bucharest and Basket Brno will try to double the win count in the Romanian capital. Two contenders – Bamberg Baskets and Bakken Bears – will face off in the game of the week. Fyllingen Lions will hosts SLB Trophy finalists Bristol Flyers.
Playoff implications: Bamberg Baskets will qualify for the playoffs if they beat Bakken Bears, and Dinamo Bucharest defeat Basket Brno a day before.
Bamberg Baskets are 2-0 against Legia Warszawa and Dinamo Bucharest.
Dinamo Bucharest vs Basket Brno
Series history: Dinamo Bucharest (1-3) will face Basket Brno (1-2) for the first time.
Roger Grimau and Dinamo Bucharest posted first ENBL win against Fyllingen Lions, 105-89, on November 12.
Dinamo Bucharest are 1-1 on the home floor.
Basket Brno are 1-0 on the road, thanks to a 94-91 win at Keila Coolbet.
Key matchup: Dalan Ancrum averages 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists for Dinamo Bucharest.
Western Illinois University alum shoots 46.7 percent inside the three point line and 42.9 percent outside the three point line.
Richard Balint averages 21.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists for Basket Brno.
Czech international shoots 47.4 percent from the two point line and 59.1 percent from the three point line.
National championships: Dinamo Bucharest are 5-7 at the Liga Nationala.
Dinamo defeated Constanta, 93-71, on December 6, lost overtime battle at Craiova, 77-78, on December 11, and prevailed over Rapid, 94-83, on December 14.
Basket Brno shares third place at the NBL Kooperativa with Usti nad Labem – both teams have a 11-5 record.
Basket Brno are on a three game winning streak after a home and away wins against BK Opava, as well as a 74-72 home success against Usti nad Labem on December 14.
Know your referees
Crew chief: Ciprian Stoica (Romania) – Liga Nationala referee from 1999, FIBA referee from 2013, Basketball Champions league referee 2016-2019.
Umpire 1: Michal Scholze (Czechia) – FIBA referee from 2023, NBL Kooperativa referee; has worked at the 2022 ENBL Final Four, including the first final.
Umpire 2: Matei Banica (Romania) – Liga Nationala referee from 2020, upcoming FIBA referee; has worked at the Romanian finals for Men and Women.
Observer (at the video): Oskars Lucis (Latvia).
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
Bamberg Baskets vs Bakken Bears
Series history: Bamberg Baskets (4-1) will face Bakken Bears (3-2) for the first time.
Bakken Bears have faced multiple Bundesliga teams across the years – Frankfurt Skyliners (2014, 2016, 2017), Würzburg (2019), Bayreuth (2019), Crailsheim (2021) and Ludwigsburg (2022).
Bamberg Baskets are 2-0 on the home floor after wins against Dinamo Bucharest, 93-78, and Keila Coolbet, 84-58.
Bamberg Baskets are on a three game winning streak in German Cup, ENBL and Bundesliga.
Bakken Bears are 1-1 on the road – they won at Keila Coolbet, 82-48, and lost at Legia Warsaw, 79-88.
Key matchup: Ronaldo Segu averages 13.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals for Bamberg Baskets.
The University of Buffalo point guard shoots 58.8 percent from the two point line and 25.0 percent from the three point line.
Skyler Bowlin averages 10.6 points, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals.
Missouri Southern State University star shoots 28.6 percent from the two point line and 39.5 percent from the three point line.
National championships: Bamberg Baskets are 3-6 at the Bundesliga.
Anton Gavel and his men defeated Telekom Baskets Bonn, 92-73, on December 14.
Bamberg advanced to the German Cup Top Four after eliminating Euroleague club ALBA Berlin, 80-67, on December 8.
Top Four tournament will take place on February 15-16, 2025.
Bamberg Baskets will face Frankfurt Skyliners in the semifinals.
Bakken Bears are 7-3 at the Basketligaen.
Anders Sommer and his men advanced to the Danish Cup final after a 95-92 win against Horsens on December 14.
The final against Naestved/Randers Cimbria will take place on January 26, 2025.
Know your referees
Crew chief: Mateusz Skorek (Poland) – FIBA referee from 2021, PLK referee; has worked at the FIBA U20 European Championship for Women.
Umpire 1: Christian Hansen (Denmark) – FIBA referee from 2021, Basketligaen referee from 2015.
Umpire 2: Anna Belousova (Latvia) – FIBA referee from 2019, first female referee from Latvia at the European Women`s basketball league (EWBL) Final Four; first female referee at the Optibet Latvian Basketball league, starting from 2019.
Observer (at the video): Oskars Lucis (Latvia).
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
Fyllingen Lions vs Bristol Flyers
Series history: Fyllingen Lions (0-4) will face Bristol Flyers (1-4) for the first time.
Fyllingen Lions are 0-1 on the home floor after suffering a 73-91 defeat at the hands of Keila Coolbet.
Thursday marks second ENBL game in Norway.
Bristol Flyers are 1-1 on the road after a 72-83 loss at Bakken Bears, and a 93-89 double overtime win at Basket Brno.
Key matchup: Bouna N`Diaye averages 17.3 points, 2.3 assists and 2.5 steals for Fyllingen Lions.
A former Northwest Nazarene University player shoots 44.2 percent from the two point line and 24.0 percent from the three point line.
Kedrian Johnson averages 14.3 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals for Bristol Flyers.
West Virginia standout shoots 43.5 percent from the two point line and 35.0 percent from the three point line.
National championships: Fyllingen Lions lead the BLNO with a 13-3 record.
Calix N`Diaye and his men are on a three game winning streak.
The Lions defeated Tromso, 106-88, on December 8, won at Gimle, 93-70, on December 11, and prevailed over Centrum, 102-82, on December 15.
Bristol Flyers are 2-3 at the SuperLeague Basketball regular season.
The Flyers advanced to the SLB Trophy final after home and away wins against Cheshire Phoenix, 92-83 and 108-102.
Bristol Flyers lost SLB regular season away game at Cheshire Phoenix, 86-92, on December 15.
The SLB Trophy final will be played on January 26, 2025, at the Utilita arena Birmingham.
Know your referees
Crew chief: Filip Oliver Szczesny (Norway) – FIBA referee from 2019, first season in the ENBL.
Umpire 1: Gavin Williams (United Kingdom) – British Basketball league referee from 2008, FIBA referee from 2011; current member of British Basketball technical commission; has worked at the Women`s EuroBasket 2015.
Umpire 2: Bartosz Maka (Norway) – BLNO referee from 2012, Polish basketball federation (PKosz) referee 2007-2012.
Observer (at the video): Oskars Lucis (Latvia).
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
STANDINGS, as of December 16, 2024
Group A
Valmiera Glass ViA 5-1, +62
Newcastle Eagles 5-1, +35
CSO Voluntari 4-1, +67
Dziki Warszawa 4-2, +48
BK Opava 3-2, -14
Donar Groningen 2-4, -6
Tartu Ulikool 1-4, -32
Spišski Rytieri 1-5, -103
Spartak Pleven 0-5, -57
Group B
Inter Bratislava 6-0, +25 Qualified
Bamberg Baskets 4-1, +60
Legia Warszawa 4-2, +29
Bakken Bears 3-2, +48
Basket Brno 1-2, -4
Dinamo Bucharest 1-3, -20
Keila Coolbet 1-3, -44
Bristol Flyers 1-4, -28
Fyllingen Lions 0-4, -66
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