At the start of the final series in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), Alba Berlin fought for a success and is only two wins away from successfully defending its title.
The nine-time champion defeated cup winners Bayern Munich 89:86 (43:40) and can already do it again on Thursday evening (8.30 p.m.) in his own hall.
Then up to 2000 fans are allowed in the arena at Berlin Ostbahnhof, on Wednesday it was 1450.
Bayern suffered the first setback before the game started.
National player Paul Zipser, one of the most important players in the collective of coach Andrea Trinchieri, has to take a break due to "neurological problems until further notice", announced the club.
The former NBA professional is "currently in intensive medical examinations", only then does the club want to comment further.
Zipser may also miss the national team's Olympic qualification tournament in Split, Croatia, at the end of the month.
Zipers absence was already noticeable on Wednesday.
Bayern could have used his accuracy from a distance.
In the duel of long-running hits - both teams had already played 166 games in their bones before the start of the final series - Alba got off to a good start and took the lead.
Led by Marcus Eriksson, who was the best thrower of the game with 23 points, and the dominant national player Maodo Lo, especially in the closing stages, Berlin stayed ahead after the break.
Bayern tried their best and stayed at it - but the turnaround was no longer successful.
The guests' most successful scorer was James Gist with 17 points, Munich has home rights in the third game on Saturday (3 p.m.) for the first time and can let up to 1000 fans into its hall.
Both teams last faced each other in the cup final in mid-May, with the better outcome for Bayern.
In the EuroLeague, Munich had stormed to the quarter-finals, Alba missed the play-offs in the European premier class.