20
21:54
Mid-term conclusion:
In the opening match of the European Championship, Germany leads France by 38:31 at half-time against third-placed France! Just like in the first quarter, the DBB selection had problems for a few minutes, but overall they were particularly convincing defensively. The athletic French hardly get an open throw and are only within striking distance thanks to a few good individual actions by top scorer Guerschon Yabusele (10 points) and Thomas Heurtel. Germany acts offensively very variable and does a lot of things right despite a weak three-man quota. The scoring is spread over many shoulders. Johannes Thiemann, Niels Giffey and Dennis Schröder each have seven points. The second half will continue in a moment in the Lanxess Arena!
20
21:46
WoBo hasn’t had a good day so far. Hardly back on it, the Ludwigsburg concedes the next foul and goes straight back to the bench. But Nick Weiler-Babb pushes in the next three after Schröder-Assist and Germany slowly pulls away again.
19
21:44
Thiemann grabs an important rebound in front and behind and underlines the good impression he has made here so far. And up front, Germany finds a new favorite play. Giffey posts against Gobert twice in a row, then drops and hits the fadeaway jumper!
19
21:41
Heurtel hits the next three and France is on a point! Germany has completely lost the flow from the first quarter and is struggling right now. Time out from Gordon Herbert!
18
21:40
For a few minutes, the German team has had a bit of a hitch on the offensive. Hardly a throw still finds its way into the ring. France doesn’t do much better though and now Théo Maledon doesn’t score from the line either.
17
21:38
Gobert is back with the French after a long break and goes to the line after a foul by Wagner. In the first section, foul management at DBB was great, now the team account is already full. Gobert, however, misses both free throws and thus causes a storm of jubilation in the hall.
16
21:34
Guerschon Yabusele continues to cause the Germans the most problems. The Real Madrid power forward already has nine points on the clock, earning Gordon Herbert his first time-out.
16
21:33
Schroeder is there! The German playmaker aggressively moves to the basket over the baseline, hits a foul and makes the next and-one clear! The 28-year-old doesn’t seem to be feeling anything from his ankle injury from the Supercup and that’s actually the best news!
15
21:30
Vincent Collet reacts to the good German defense and now tries a formation without a real center. But it doesn’t help either! Germany is doing an incredible job at the back and the French are running out of attack time.
14
21:27
But Germany is still playing strong! Obst picks up Luwawu-Cabarrot’s offensive foul and regains possession. Schröder and Wagner come back onto the floor, Thiemann goes to the line again and scores two points.
13.
21:26
Completely ccol and seamless, Thomas Heurtel pushed the German in a three-pointer from dribbling and brought his team up to four points. The French simply have an incredible quality in the squad and will not be shaken off here.
12.
21:23
Without Schröder, the German game seems a bit more static and the throws don’t come quite as easily. Ultimately, however, Johannes Voigtmann uses his mismatch in the low post against Terry Tarpey to serve up a free three-pointer to Maodo Lô. And it’s in!
11.
21:22
Beginning of 2nd quarter
10
21:22
Quarter conclusion:
Germany has a strong start in the first European Championship game against France and leads 17:13 after the first quarter! After a nervous start on both sides, the DBB selection quickly increased defensively and allowed few open throws by the French. That must also be the main goal of Gordon Herbert’s team, because they have enough offensive options. With Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann and France’s star Rudy Gobert, two long players already have two personal fouls on their books.
10
21:18
Thiemann again creates a lot of space under the basket, pulls the next foul and hits both freebies.
9.
21:15
Gordon Herbert is now rotating through for the first time and it’s paying off! Maodo Lô brings the ball, pulls to the basket and then passes out to his former Alba team-mate Niels Giffey, who sends the next three through the trap. 15:10 for Germany, time out France!
9.
21:13
Strong by JT! The Berliner lets Gobert run into space with a feint, then moves to the basket and scores with a foul! While the top star of the French goes to the bench with two personal fouls, Thiemann also makes the bonus free throw!
8th.
21:12
Knicks guard Evan Fournier then sunk the first French three. He shouldn’t overheat if Germany wants to have a chance here.
7.
21:11
A very decisive factor today will be the three-man quota. Because the litters will get Germany without a doubt. Daniel Theis is allowed to pull the trigger freely from outside for the third time and nets for the first time. The 9:7 means the first lead for the DBB!
6.
21:09
For the French, Guerschon Yabusele got off to the best start and already has four points on the clock. Germany is also slowly gaining momentum and booked the first points from the field through Theis and Wagner.
4.
21:07
With France closing the zone with Rudy Gobert, who has won multiple awards as the NBA’s best defenseman, Germany is getting a lot of throws from outside. So far, however, they have all gone wrong. Schröder then quickly moves into the zone, blames Gobert for a foul and scores the first German points from the free-throw line.
3.
21:04
There is still little going on on both sides in attack. A successful free throw by Rudy Gobert has made all the difference on the scoreboard so far.
2.
21:04
Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann conceded a very early second foul! WoBo holds against Rudy Gobert and even gets an unsportsmanlike whistling for it. Then it goes much faster than planned on the bench for the longest in the German team. Daniel Theis takes over.
1.
21:02
The first ball goes to France. However, Germany defended equally well, forced a difficult shot and shortly afterwards gained possession of the ball. Schröder’s quick shot from half-distance is clearly missed.
1.
21:00
Here we go! Germany starts with Nick Weiler-Babb, Johannes Voigtmann, Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann. France includes Élie Okobo, Guerschon Yabusele, Evan Fournier, Andrew Albicy and of course Rudy Gobert.
20:56
Now the national anthems sound, first the French, then the German. This is followed by the obligatory greeting of the players among themselves and then we can finally play basketball in the Lanxess Arena!
20:50
The atmosphere in the sold-out Lanxess Arena is great even before the game begins. The fans can hardly wait for this home championship of the German basketball players to finally start.
20:41
Due to the rather long Nowitzki ceremony, the schedule of the organizers got really mixed up. The players have only just started warming up and according to the latest information, the game between Germany and France is now scheduled to start around 9 p.m.
20:35
The German basketball players can go into the game with fresh self-confidence, because after a few mixed performances, the team recently convinced in the World Cup qualifier with a strong 90:71 against the reigning European champions Slovenia around top star Dončić. The French, on the other hand, surprisingly lost 90-96 after extra time in Bosnia.
20:34
So back to the game and to today’s opponent: With the French, Germany expects one of the most difficult tasks. Vincent Collet’s team, which is peppered with numerous NBA and EuroLeague stars, most recently finished third at the 2019 World Cup and won Olympic silver in Beijing in 2020. Especially in the zone, the French are a force with superstar Rudy Gobert from the Minnesota Timberwolves (2.15 m) and Olympiacos center Moustapha Fall (2.18 m).
20:33
Now, of course, Dirk Nowitzki himself is giving a speech on the floor and thanks all his companions and people who have supported him throughout his career. The fans also get a big thank you from the 44-year-old, who ends his speech with “Let’s go Germany” and then greets the German players on the floor.
20:28
Of course, the German players don’t notice anything from the whole show and are preparing for the upcoming game in the locker room. Nevertheless, of course we hope that the presence of Nowitzki and his jersey under the roof will give the DBB giants an extra boost of motivation today.
20:26
Now the time has come: the Jersey retirement for Dirk Nowitzki’s number 14 is being completed. Accompanied by a spectacular light show and a bit of fireworks, the jersey, which will no longer be awarded in the national team in the future, will be pulled under the roof of the hall.
20:23
Current Mavs star Luka Dončić has also gathered in the hall to attend the ceremony. And that just over an hour after he defeated Lithuania with his Slovenians in an exciting duel with 92:85 at the start of the European Championship. Dončić contributed a double-double from 14 points and ten assists.
20:20
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is currently speaking in the hall a few introductory words about the EM and honoring Nowitzki. He once again acknowledges the unbelievable achievements of the Würzburg player on and off the court and finally wishes all fans in the hall an exciting opening game against France.
20:12
Before the future is discussed, the Lanxess Arena takes a look at the past. There is a ceremony for Germany’s basketball superstar Dirk Nowitzki, who has also played 153 international matches for Germany in his brilliant career. His jersey with the number 14 is pulled under the roof of the hall in the familiar manner. A number of former companions of the “German Wunderkind” have gathered in Cologne for this highlight, for example Mavericks owner Mark Cuban or Nowitzki’s long-time teammates Michael Finley and Jason Kidd.
20:08
Although four NBA professionals are missing with Isaac Bonga, Moritz Wagner (both injured), Isaiah Hartenstein and Maximilian Kleber (both omitted) and Tibor Pleiß from the reigning EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes, the German squad still has enough quality . In addition to playmaker Schröder, Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis are two other NBA stars on board. With the Berliners Maodo Lô and Johannes Thiemann, the Munichers Nick Weiler-Babb and Andreas Obst as well as Niels Giffey and Johannes Voigtmann, a number of players also played in the EuroLeague last season. Christian Sengfelder, Justus Hollatz and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann complete Coach Gordon Herbert’s squad.
20:06
To do this, however, Germany must first assert itself in a very difficult group and at least place fourth. With World Cup third place France, defending champion Slovenia and Lithuania, the DBB selection has been drawn three heavyweights of European basketball. In addition, there is the Bosnian team around NBA center Jusuf Nurkić, who prevailed against Hungary at the start. In the fight for a ticket to the round of 16, every point counts from the start.
20:03
Three years after the crash landing at the 2019 World Cup in China, when the German team traveled to China with great ambitions and was then eliminated in the preliminary round, the DBB giants are now getting another chance to present themselves on the big stage. And this time, too, there is great hope for a good placement, because the current generation is considered to be one of the best for a long time. Led by superstar Dennis Schröder, it should even be about the medals at best.
20:00
Hello and welcome to the first game of the German national team at the EuroBasket 2022! At 8:30 p.m. the DBB selection will face France in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne.