As expected, Weißenfels will face FC Bayern Basketball in the quarterfinals of the 2025 BBL Playoffs. The team from Saxony-Anhalt secured a comfortable 110–95 (51–42) win over Oldenburg on Thursday evening in the final Play-In game. As a result, they will travel to Munich this Saturday (8:00 p.m.) to face the regular season champions at the SAP Garden for the first time. Weißenfels had previously lost the first Play-In game 78–81 in Berlin on Tuesday.
Head coach Gordon Herbert’s Bayern squad now has the chance to avenge their cup elimination at the hands of Weißenfels back in February. The series will be played in a best-of-five format. Following the road game on Tuesday, the defending champions will once again have home court advantage at the SAP Garden on Saturday, May 24 (4:30 p.m.).
Clash of two home court powerhouses
Weißenfels is back in the BBL Playoffs for the first time in 24 years. With their German Cup title—where they stunned Bayern in the semifinal on home turf—the 2024–25 season is already a major success for Syntainics MBC. Tensions are guaranteed, not least due to the unsuccessful protest by the visitors at the end of April. Back then, Bayern clinched a dramatic 90–88 victory thanks to a last-second three-pointer by Napier and a 53-point second half—an ending that sparked heated debate.
The Bayern squad is well aware of the challenge posed by this matchup between two teams strong on their home courts. In the EuroLeague season, Bayern won 13 of 17 games at the SAP Garden, in addition to domestic league wins over Rostock and Berlin. Weißenfels, meanwhile, dropped just three of 17 home games at their Stadthalle. On Thursday night, they pulled away from Oldenburg with a dominant 28–15 second quarter and looked firmly in control by the 25th minute at 63–46.
Callison and Devoe dominate Oldenburg
Weißenfels’ backcourt trio of Michael Devoe (23 points, 11 assists vs. Oldenburg), Charles Callison (29 points, 6 assists), and Spencer Reaves (15 points), along with wings Tyron Johnson (6 points) and Ty Brewer (10), can only be contained with strong defense. Former Bayern players Eddy Edigin (8 points, 6 rebounds) and John Bryant (16 points) rotate in the frontcourt of a team that thrives with small, agile lineups.
2025 BBL Playoffs (Best-of-Five Series)
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Game 1 – Saturday, May 17, 8:00 p.m. | SAP Garden (Munich)
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Game 2 – Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. | in Weißenfels (live on Dyn)
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Game 3 – Saturday, May 24, 4:30 p.m. | SAP Garden (Munich)
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Game 4 – Tuesday, May 27, 6:30 p.m. | if necessary
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Game 5 – Thursday, May 29, 3:00 p.m. | if necessary
Other Quarterfinal Matchups:
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Ulm (2) vs. Berlin (7)
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Braunschweig (3) vs. Würzburg (6)
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Chemnitz (4) vs. Heidelberg (5)