Game play
In the first few minutes, both teams really stepped on the accelerator offensively. The Ulm team adapted their fast-paced style of play early on and Justinian Jessup scored the first points of the game from the middle distance. After an even start, the Trail Blazers scored five quick points and it appeared that the NBA representative was now getting serious. After a timeout, the Trail Blazers finally took control of the game, switched gears immediately after winning the ball and attacked the zone tirelessly. This time too, coach Ty Harrelson’s team held up against it and also had good finishing opportunities in this phase, which were now used more consistently. At the end of the quarter, Jessup sank Ulm’s second shot from outside, reducing the deficit to seven. The captain team opened the second half of the game in person: first Tommy Klepeisz converted another three-point shot and Philipp Herkenhoff was also successful in the next sequence from there. Once again, there was no significant scoring run for the home side, as the Ulm team played cheerfully and, especially, threw hard from beyond the three-point line (5/14) – after 16 minutes played, the gap narrowed to just four points (36: 32). The game also developed into a private duel between two up-and-coming Israeli basketball icons. On the Trail Blazers side, Deni Avdija drew attention to himself with numerous offensive actions, including the forward converting an and-one play. In return, Ben Saraf broke the ten-point mark early with his third successful three-point throw (3/4). But the other NBA talent in the Ulm ranks, Noa Essengue, also showed his qualities, first stole the game equipment and rewarded himself with a cracking dunk in the fast break. However, the last minutes before halftime belonged to the Trail Blazers, who were almost unstoppable, especially in the person of hopeful Scoot Henderson. The promising playmaker was largely responsible for the 8-0 run immediately before half-time, which meant Ulm’s deficit continued to grow (HZ, 61:45).
