No Franz Wagner? No problem. The German basketball players also beat co-favorite Australia at the World Cup. Thanks to the strong hosts, a decision was made prematurely.
Match winner Dennis Schröder took his son Junior by the hand and happily strolled through the Okinawa arena. Germany’s basketball leader enjoyed his team’s big World Cup victory over fellow favorites Australia and dedicated it directly to the injured missing teammate.
“Of course that was for Franz,” said Schröder about Wagner, whose loss the captain compensated for with a 30-point performance. While Schröder saw his teammate Maodo Lo as the most valuable player in the 85:82 thriller, the teammates unanimously emphasized their captain.
DBB selection early group winner
The 98:88 success of host Japan afterwards meant that the Germans were the group winners early after two matchdays and will certainly play in the intermediate round. Match dates are Friday and Sunday, one of the opponents should then also be Slovenia with the outstanding Luka Doncic.
But the German team also has a potential star of this tournament. “Dennis was incredible. It’s incredible how he’s developed over the past few years. He plays at such a high level and for so many minutes. He’s our clear leader,” said Johannes Thiemann after the significant success that gave Germany a huge boost step towards the finals in Manila. Lo (20 points) and fighter Thiemann surpassed themselves in the absence of young star Wagner, but Schröder once again became the key figure. “He was the killer today,” said Lo of the build-up that was unleashed at times.
Herbert: “Dennis was exceptional”
The basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki was among the 6205 spectators and applauded enthusiastically. The 45-year-old was the last German to show such trumps in the national team and carry the team alone. A year after the bronze medal at the European Championships in Berlin, another medal coup at the World Cup seems conceivable for Germany. And that is mainly due to the 29-year-old Schröder. Moritz Wagner said: “We don’t appreciate Dennis enough as a German basketball country. The guy gets better every year, plays almost 40 minutes, plays against the best defenders in the world, gets tripled and doubled. He wins the game for us.”
After the gripping victory over the Olympic bronze medalist around the NBA professionals Patty Mills and Josh Giddey, the pros hugged each other on the floor. A huge burden fell off Schröder and Co. “I now have the evening off, I’m celebrating my brother’s birthday and on Tuesday we’re playing Finland. Everything else doesn’t bother me at first,” summarized Moritz Wagner. His brother Franz had to spend his 22nd birthday in a black tracksuit on the bench because of his ankle injury. After 40 gripping minutes, there was reason to celebrate for him too. The teammates sang a birthday song in the dressing room after the game.
On Tuesday (9.30 a.m./Magentasport) the preliminary round should be perfectly completed against Finland and another big step towards the Philippines, where all games from the quarter-finals onwards will take place, should be taken. Wagner was still wearing walking boots on Sunday, so his use against the Finns around NBA star Lauri Markkanen is questionable.
It should be all the more important that Schröder does not let up. “Dennis showed an outstanding individual performance within a strong team performance. He was exceptional,” national coach Gordon Herbert praised his captain. Despite the important success, the Canadian remained generally reserved. “It’s only two wins. We haven’t qualified yet. We’ll enjoy it today and then it’s against Finland.”
A strong final sprint ensures the hoped-for dream start
The athletic Isaac Bonga had taken Wagner’s place – and did a good job. “You have to hold out a game like that for 40 minutes. Without Franz, others had to step in, and we managed that,” said Bonga, who had to take a short break with a shoulder problem, but then came back on the field. “It was a great team win without Franz. Isaac and Niels Giffey really improved,” said Herbert.
Schröder had already scored 18 points and five assists at halftime, but not only that: he also defended well and made offensive fouls with great effort. From the second row, Bonga and Lo, who had been weak for weeks, each brought points and energy. So the game stayed open for a long time.
The fact that Australia is better positioned across the board became noticeable after the break. Because Daniel Theis and Moritz Wagner did not have their best day in Germany, more and more solo entertainer Schröder, who threw everything against the Australian collective, ran. Australia took the lead in the third quarter, but Germany struck back. In the end, thanks to a strong final sprint, it was enough for the hoped-for dream start. “We started well and finished well,” said Herbert. He highlighted Schröder’s and Lo’s performances as “excellent individual performances”.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
