Will favourite Ulm strike again?

The Telekom Baskets Bonn lost the first match in the final series of the 2023 BBL Playoffs and thus lost the first home advantage against ratiopharm Ulm. The Swabians prevailed in a thrilling first match against Bonn with a 79:73, whereby the success was mainly due to the strong performance of Yago (19 PTS / 7 REB / 9 AST).

If the Ulm team carries the momentum into the second match of the best-of-five series, the underdogs can be expected to pull off a surprise this time as well. Our Bonn vs. Ulm betting tip does not rule out another win for the Swabians.

Since the 77:91 defeat against the Albatrosse from Berlin, ratiopharm Ulm have won each of their last six games. Most commendable was the impressive semi-final series against Bayern, which Ulm won with a 3:0 – a so-called sweep – in BO5 format.

The Telekom Baskets Bonn, on the other hand, provided a “sweep” against Ludwigsburg and also celebrated a 3:0 victory in the BO5 format. Therefore, the weak performance in the final opener against Ulm was all the more surprising. The chance to make amends comes in the second home game. If a prediction on the Rhinelanders pays off in Bonn vs. Ulm, it will be the equaliser in the BO5 series.

Bonn – statistics & current form

The high flight of the Telekom Baskets Bonn is over for the time being. After winning 18 games in a row, Bonn lost the first match in the final series of the BBL playoffs against ratiopharm Ulm. The Bonn team thus also lost its first home advantage in the final and is already under pressure to win in the second match.

If Bonn also loses the second final match against Ulm, the worst-case scenario would be a blitz KO for the Telekom Baskets in their third match with the Swabians. For Bonn, it would be only the second home defeat on the national stage. So far this season, Ulm was the only team in the BBL to win an away game at the Rhinelanders.

Bonn also lost a home game against ratiopharm Ulm for the first time since May 2021. In the two home games before that, including the league duel in the 2022/23 regular season, the Telekom Baskets prevailed against the Swabians. If you are leaning towards a home win this time as well, you can pick up odds of 1.42 for a Bonn vs. Ulm bet on the hosts.

Bonn with best offence of the main round

In the regular season, the Telekom Baskets provided the best offence in the German top flight with 3042 points in 34 BBL games. The results in the playoffs – the 90-point mark was broken in three of seven games – were therefore not at all surprising apart from the most recent defeat.

An act of defiance cannot be ruled out in the second match of the final series. There is enough potential for this in the Telekom Baskets’ offense. One of the most important players in the ranks of the Rhinelanders is TJ Shorts. The 25-year-old US-American has a scoring average of 18.3 points this season.

In the first meeting of the finals series, TJ Shorts scored 20 points and was one of the few bright spots in Bonn’s offensive game. If the point guard takes the momentum with him into the second match, it is obvious that TJ Shorts will break the 20-point mark this time as well. Bets on this have definite value.

Predicted line-up of Bonn:
Delany – Scratch – Shorts – Morgan – Ward

Ulm – Statistics & current form

Ratiopharm Ulm have toppled the title favourites – for now at least. With the surprise in the first match of the final series, the championship is no longer a pipe dream. Ulm can make it 2-0 in the second match and would then have the chance to wrap up the 2022/23 BBL championship with their first home game in the final series.

It would be a premiere for the Swabians. So far, Ulm have never won the championship in the German top flight in the club’s long history, but ratiopharm Ulm have been runners-up twice. In 2012/13, they failed to win the BBL title at the hands of ALBA Berlin. Only one year later, the Ulm team was once again defeated by the capital city’s handball team.

Whether they will win the championship for the first time this year remains to be seen, but the Swabians have the necessary quality. In the semi-final, the FCB already felt this. The Ulm team even managed a sweep against Bayern – a 3-0 win in the BO5 series.

Will Ulm be able to keep Bonn’s offence at bay again?

Compared to the strong offensive performance against the FCB basketball team, the defensive performance was the main success factor against Telekom Baskets Bonn. Ulm conceded “only” 73 points against the title favourites. If the Swabians can keep this up, they have a realistic chance of winning the second match. In Bonn vs. Ulm, a prognosis on the guests therefore has value.

Yago is currently one of the best-formed players on the Ulm side. The Brazilian was the second best scorer for the Swabians this season and was already convincing in the first game of the final series. In Ulm’s 79-73 win, Yago contributed 19 points and also had seven rebounds and nine assists.

The Brazilian had already caused a sensation in the previous semi-final, so the statistics in the final were by no means surprising. Betting fans who want to bet on a high-scoring encounter by Yago this time can use the bookmaker Betano for this. In addition to various betting options on the regular betting market, there are also special bets on players there.

Predicted line-up of Ulm:
Caboclo – Christen – Yago – Klepeisz – Jallow

Bonn – Ulm Direct comparison / H2H-balance

This is the 43rd time the two teams have met. Bonn leads the H2h against Ulm with a record of 23-19. This season, the main round best from the Rhineland won both meetings in the regular season against the Ulm team. With the defeat in the first game of the final series, this high flight was ended.

Ulm thus won a must-win match against the Telekom Baskets for the first time since May 2021 and will now go into the second final match with a broad chest. It was also the first match since September 2021 in which Ulm conceded fewer than 80 points against Bonn’s offence.

Bonn – Ulm Tip

Ulm does not have to hide at all after the strong performance in the first final game. The Swabians have realistic chances of winning the championship and already lead the series 1-0. It therefore remains to be seen with what attitude Telekom Baskets Bonn will go into the second match. Especially since another defeat in the BO5 series would be unbearable.

After all, the third match of the final series takes place in Ulm, so the supposed underdogs would have the chance to decide the final of the BBL playoffs with a “sweep” in front of their home crowd if they were to win again in Bonn.

As in the first match of the final series, we expect an even match between the two teams. We even trust Ulm to pull off another surprise. Our Bonn vs. Ulm tip, however, aims at over 163.5 points, for which we use a total of six units. Bets on this have paid off in two of the three season duels so far.