The German men's basketball team narrowly defeated the United States 113-111 in the semifinals on September 8 to reach the final of the men's basketball World Cup, setting a record for the first time in the history of the German team. They will compete with Serbia for the championship, while the United States will compete with Canada for third place.
In the game, Germany's Obst performed well, with 24 points and 6 assists, Schroeder contributed 17 points, 2 rebounds and 9 assists, Theis had 21 points and 7 rebounds, Wagner Jr. had 22 points and 5 rebounds, Timan had 10 points and 5 rebounds, and Wagner Jr. had 10 points. U.S.'s Bridges had 17 points and two blocks, Brunson contributed 15 points and seven assists, Edwards had 23 points and eight rebounds and Reeves had 21 points.
At the start of the game, Obst immediately hit a long shot, and then Theis cut to the basket to complete the dunk, giving Germany a 7-2 lead. Bridges and Brunson scored back-to-back points to help the U.S. trail up to 11-14. Theis scored an easy layup in the bottom corner, Wagner Jr. and Schroder hit three-pointers, Wagner Jr. scored under a basket, Edwards broke through for a layup, Bridges also hit a three-pointer, while Germany's Banqueiro and Hart scored consecutive rebounds, and Reeves also hit an open three-pointer. At the end of the first quarter, Germany was temporarily leading 33-31.
In the second quarter, Edwards' free-throw line jumper, Reeves and Edwards both hit a long shot, Bridges' backward jumper also scored, Wagner Jr. hit a long shot, and Tieman scored from a basket, and the game entered a 41-level draw. In the following time, the two sides launched a glue confrontation, and at one point the battle reached 48 draws. Wagner Jr. and Watergeman scored back-to-back rebounds, Theis hit a three-pointer, Bridges hit another three-pointer, and Edwards scored back-to-back points to tie the game again at 57. Haliburton hit a 3-pointer after the block, and Theis scored twice to give the U.S. a 60-59 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the game entered the third quarter, Theis's mid-range shot and Wagner Jr. scored from a long range, and Germany quickly chased the score to 64. Theis scored again in the mid-range, Obst broke through for a layup, Schroeder and Bonga also hit from the outside, Timan completed a flying basket, Obst and Wagner hit three consecutive three-pointers, and Germany blossomed inside and out, leading by 10 points at one point 92-82. Portis scored on a free throw and Schroeder steadied the situation with a free-throw line jumper. At the end of the third quarter, Germany led 94-84.
At the start of the final quarter, Wagner Jr. scored on a free throw, Brunson broke through for a layup, and Theis scored on an open layup, giving Germany a 10-point advantage (104-94). Edwards scored a dunk, Reeves and Edwards hit back-to-back 3-pointers as the U.S. took the opportunity to chase the score to 103-106. Schroeder steadied Germany with a throw, Reeves hit another jumper to tie the score to 107-108. Olst hit a three-pointer at the crucial moment, and Schroeder's jump shot also hit to give Germany a 113-109 lead. Reeves scored a dunk and Edwards' passing error caused the offense to fail. After that, the German team stabilized the situation and ended in victory.
In terms of the starting lineup, Germany sent Obst, Schroeder, Theis, Wagner Jr. and Vogtmann; The starting lineup for the U.S. team includes Bridges, Brunson, Edwards, Hart and Jalen Jackson.
The match was full of suspense and exciting confrontation, with the German men's basketball team successfully advancing to the final with a strong performance, while the United States team took on Canada in the race for third place. This game is undoubtedly a wonderful matchup not to be missed by basketball fans.