The German basketball players have extended their starting record at the World Cup in Asia and are clearly on course for the finals in Manila.
The team around captain Dennis Schröder won on Friday (September 1st, 2023) in Okinawa, Japan, with 100:73 (43:41) against outsiders Georgia and now has four wins from four tournament games on the credit side.
Schröder scored 16 points at the start of the second round, but had to sit out in the closing stages due to an injury. The Point Guard briefly left the hall, but then at least returned to the bench. The strong bank around Maodo Lo (18), Moritz Wagner (14) and Johannes Thiemann (11) became the trump card against the robust Georgians.
Quarterfinals not sure yet
The ticket for the quarterfinals is not solved even after four wins. However, Germany can only be eliminated in a complicated three-way comparison with Slovenia and Australia. If the fifth win in a row at the end of the games in Japan against the Slovenians around star player Luka Doncic, the group victory is perfect.
Even a victory for the Slovenians in the afternoon against Australia would mean the German progress. In Manila, the team of national coach Gordon Herbert would not only be about World Cup medals, but also about direct qualification for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“I didn’t like the way we played in the first half”, said Herbert at “MagentaSport”. Only after that would his protégés “played more as a team, with more intensity”. The Canadian had no information about Schröder: “I don’t know what it is, I don’t have an update.”
“It’s too complicated for me”
On the Japanese holiday island, where many beaches remained empty on Friday due to an imminent typhoon, Herbert is fully committed to victory in every game. “It’s too complicated for me. We take one game at a time”, the Canadian said before the Georgia game about all the arithmetic games that were circulating.
The boss was once again without young star Franz Wagner, who missed the other three games after suffering an ankle injury in the opening game against Japan. The 22-year-old has increased the load throughout the week and could be back on Sunday against Slovenia. A decision on this should be made on Saturday.
difficulties at the start
In front of 5,852 spectators, who were presented with songs by Bushido, 50 Cent and Rammstein by the indoor DJ, the German team had similar starting difficulties as in the ultimately sovereign 101:75 over Finland on Wednesday. The first five did not initially work as desired because NBA star Schröder was again closely guarded and Andreas Obst and co-captain Johannes Voigtmann did not contribute any momentum at the start.
Bonga with a clear increase
When Herbert brought the entire bank into play during the first quarter, things got a lot better. Moritz Wagner and Thiemann provided energy and rebounds under the basket, which were urgently needed against the Georgian towers Goga Bitadze (2.11 meters) and Giorgi Schermadini (2.17 meters).
Bonga, otherwise known for his strong defense and athleticism, was so neglected by the Georgian defense that he contributed three three-pointers. Bonga’s clear improvement at the World Cup helps the German team to compensate for the loss of hopeful Wagner. In the second half, Obst then turned up the heat and let the German team pull away. The defense also improved noticeably.
The European Championship third is gaining more and more status as a title contender in Japan. The success over Georgia was the seventh German World Cup win in a row across all tournaments – that too is a record. But three of them date from 2019, when Germany had already been eliminated and had to go into the placement round.
Final round in Manila
The final round from the quarterfinals will be played completely in Manila from Tuesday. In addition to Germany, Olympic champions USA, world champions Spain and Canada are traded as favourites.
Against outsiders Georgia, Germany showed their weakest tournament performance in the first half. Without Franz Wagner, who is still missing due to an injury, the German selection found no rhythm in front of 5,852 spectators. After the change of sides, Schröder and Co. increased significantly and pulled away decisively in the third quarter.