Germany and Serbia meet again, but this time in a bronze medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  Will Germany end up with a podium finish as consolation? Or, will Serbia avenge its loss to Germany in Manila to score a bronze in  the City of Light?

Catch this game live on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM, Manila time.

Away: Germany (4-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• Dennis Schroder 
• Franz Wagner 
• Andreas Obst 
• Johannes Voigtmann 
• Daniel Theis 

Germany’s dream of winning the World Cup and an Olympic gold within a year went up in flames after Die Mannschaft suffered a 73-69 loss to France in the semifinal round. It was a rough day at the office for Germany’s offense, as Franz Wagner and company shot just 40.3 percent from the field. More embarrassingly, Germany went 10/24 from deep – its worst in an Olympic game since a defeat to Team USA way back in 2008. Dennis Schroder led Germany in the France game with 18 points, while Wagner had 10 points. 

Germany, which finished on top of Group B with a 3-0 record and beat Greece (76-63) in the quarterfinals, defeated Serbia in the finals of the World Cup here in Manila last year, 83-77. In that game, Schroder erupted for 28 points while Wagner chipped in 19 points. This team is stacked with experience, great chemistry, and solid coaching. Despite the loss to France, those qualities remain for Germany, which will look to double down on its recent mastery of Serbia.

Home: Serbia (3-2)

Projected Starting Five:

• Aleksa Avramovic 
• Bogdan Bogdanovic 
• Ognjen Dobric 
• Filip Petrusev 
• Nikola Jokic

Serbia had a much more painful experience in the semis than Germany. The Serbians definitely reached the point in its game against Team USA on Friday that they were going to defeat the Americans. They were making shots, dominating the glass, and having success on defense. Unfortunately for them, not even a 17-point lead was enough to avoid a 95-91 loss to Team USA. Assuming Serbia doesn’t get too caught up with its hurt feelings after that brutal loss to the top team in the world, it should feel good about its chances of scoring revenge against Germany. 

This time, Serbia has three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who was not in Manila last year. Jokic is leading Serbia with 18.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Against Team USA, he had 17 points and 11 assists.  Meanwhile, the pair of Bogan Bogdanovic and Aleksa Avramovic form a dangerous backcourt for Germany to deal with. At the 2023 World Cup finals, they combined for 38 points.

Picks

Spread: Serbia (-2.0)

Over/Under: Under (170.5)