Niners Chemnitz: losing streak! Two facial fractures in an injury-filled game

Niners Chemnitz: losing streak! Two facial fractures in an injury-filled game

The Niners Chemnitz have suffered two bitter injuries recently. John Newman III suffered a broken cheekbone in the recent home win against Hamburg (102:78) when he was hit with an elbow by Eric Reed. His teammate Kostja Mushidi was no less affected: he suffered a broken nose from a forearm hit by Mateo Seric from Heidelberg. Both players are expected to be out for several weeks, which poses a major challenge for the team. While Newman is expected to be out of action for around four weeks, Mushidi could return to training in around two weeks if everything goes well.

These injuries do not come alone. The Niners are also without Kaza Kajami-Keane (muscular problems), Julian Steinfeld (knee) and Roman Bedime (shoulder surgery). The latter will be out for so long that he can only be expected to return in the second half of the season. For the Niners, who are already already ailing going into the next games, it will be crucial to integrate the ailing players back into the team as quickly as possible in order to be able to survive in the competition.

The most recent match history

In their last game, the Niners Chemnitz triumphed 90:83 against MLP Academics Heidelberg. Robbie Beran celebrated a successful Bundesliga debut. In just 19 minutes of playing time, the freshman scored 9 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and blocked a shot. Kevin Yebo, Corey Davis and Yordan Minchev also contributed significantly to the lead. Yebo posted a strong double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Davis contributed 19 points and 10 assists for the Niners. Chemnitz was in the lead with 21:16 after the first quarter and was able to pull away again and again throughout the game until Heidelberg took the lead with a goal from Williamson.

The number of spectators of 4,249 at the home game shows that the Chemnitz basketball fans are firmly behind their team, despite the current setbacks. Thanks to their win, the Niners climb to seventh place in the table, which is not insignificant in the league. Their next duel is tomorrow in the Eurocup phase against Lietkabelis Panevezys from Lithuania, followed by another home game on Friday against Ludwigsburg.

Basketball injuries

Injuries are not an unknown phenomenon in basketball. An analysis of Statista shows that the most common injuries in German professional basketball leagues affect body regions such as the knees and upper body. Such injuries are not uncommon in the current 2022/2023 season, which forces teams to always have a plan B ready and to hold young talents like Beran responsible.

The coming weeks will be crucial for the Niners, both in terms of the return of injured players and team dynamics. Even though it seems like the Niners may be having a bit of bad luck right now, there are still fundamentals on which to build a strong team. The people of Chemnitz now have to prove themselves and react to the weakening. This is the only way to get the season back on track.