Germany has acquired the know-how and the knowledge to overcome adversity during the past three years. Franz Wagner had 18 points, Dennis Schroder added 13 points and eight assists, and Germany came from down 12 to beat Greece 76-63 and secure a spot in the Olympic Basketball semi-finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored eight of his 22 points in the first quarter and the Greeks took a 12-point lead and finished the quarter with an 11-21 advantage. With the Wagner brothers completing several physical plays in the second quarter the Germans brought themselves back to tie the game at 36-36 in the first half.
From that point, Dennis Schroder found his groove and put Germany up (39-36) for the first time after he hit a corner three with 9:21 in the third quarter. Gordon Herbert squad remained poised and push the lead up to double-digits during the fourth period after getting ahead 61-52 early.
Greece was forced to 15 turnovers and allowed Franz Wagner to take control of the game as Germany broke away in the closing minutes. The Germans took a massive boost from their bench scoring 32 points, while the only allowed Greece to rack up 11 in the final quarter.
The reigning World Champions are set to face the winner of the game between France and Canada in the semifinal.
Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Quarter-Finals after Germany’s victory
(Leading Performers: Franz Wagner 18 pts, Dennis Schroder 13 pts, 8 asts – Giannis Antetokounmpo 19 pts)
15:30 Serbia vs Australia
19:00 France vs Canada
22:30 Brazil vs USA