The Niners Chemnitz basketball team has managed to break free in the German league. The team of Head Coach Rodrigo Pastore defeated Syntainics MBC 79:75 (40:44) in the duel in the East and so celebrated its first league win in 2026. Kevin Yebo was the Niners' best scorer in front of 4,833 spectators with 19 points and they now have a 16:22 record. By contrast, the crisis at Weißenfels (14:24) continues to worsen. The team of interim head coach Silvano Poropat, for whom captain Charles Callison scored 15 points, conceded its ninth defeat in a row.
Chemnitz started the game with far more energy and quickly opened up a 17:4 gap (8th minute). The MBC missed its first eight three-pointers, but fought its way back in the second quarter as Jure Planinic dominated under the basket and its shooting percentage from outside also increased significantly. The visitors went on a 9:0 run midway through the second quarter to take the lead for the first time (30:27).
The Niners defended far more intensely after the break and forced the MBC to concede more turnovers. Chemnitz produced a 15:4 run to pull 67:59 ahead in the 31st minute, but was not able to maintain that level for long. The visitors showed morale and went 75:74 in front with 90 seconds remaining. However, the Niners proved to have the better nerves in the final spell. The strong Yebo made the home win perfect at the free throw line.
