Bean Forces Game 5 as Alba Tops Bayern 71–61 in Munich

Game recap

Alba Berlin handed Bayern a surprising home defeat, winning 71–61 to even the finals series at 2–2. Bayern began strongly, with Nenad Dimitrijevic setting the tone and Andreas Obst chipping in later, but Alba stayed competitive through the first quarter. After ten minutes the score was 26–23 in favor of the hosts.

Bayern built momentum early in the second quarter with a 14–2 run that flipped the game and sent them into halftime leading 45–42. The visitors, however, refused to fold and kept chipping away after the break.

The turning point came in the second half. Bayern ripped off a few scoreless minutes for Alba, stretching their lead to around ten, but Alba responded with timely three-pointers from Justin Bean and Malte Delow. A prolonged drought from Bayern followed — they went roughly five minutes without scoring — and Alba used that stretch to pull away.

Standouts and what’s next

Justin Bean paced Alba with 17 points, while Malte Delow added 11. For Bayern, Nenad Dimitrijevic led the scoring with 14. Alba’s late run and Bayern’s cold spell were decisive in the final quarter.

The series now shifts toward a decisive Game 5, which will be played in Munich. Exact timing is still to be announced, but both teams will regroup quickly for what promises to be a high-stakes finale.