At one point, Germany looked like they would not have any issues putting Latvia away in their quarterfinal matchup. After pulling ahead 74-60 in the fourth quarter, the Latvians answered with a 19-7 run that put fear into their opponents.
It was unfortunately not enough, as Germany still came away with the narrow 81-79 victory, but Davis Bertans and Arturs Zagars should walk away with their heads held up high. The former finished with 20 points while his teammate 24 points and eight assists.
The Germans have cause to celebrate their semifinal berth, even if it means they have to face Team USA, who trounced Italy 100-63 to make the final four. However, one player that will have a lot of eyes on him in the upcoming game will be Dennis Schroder.
Schroder, who has had many moments of brilliance during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, had one of the worst games of his life. He finished with nine points, one rebound and four assists, but shot 4 of 26 from the field and missed all eight of his three-pointers.
Fortunately for him, four of his other teammates scored in double figures, while Daniel Theis put in his usual blue-collar effort with nine points and eight rebounds. Franz Wagner led Germany in scoring with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Germany’s only hope to make it to the final is to see Schroder have a big comeback performance against Team USA, and that’s a big ask.
Still, they’ve come this far. Hopefully they’ll at least show more fight in them than Italy. Germany and Team USA will meet on Friday, September 8, at 8:40 PM (+8 UTC)
