Germany is the world basketball champion

AFP and AFP

La Jornada newspaper
Monday, September 11, 2023, p. a11

Manila. The German basketball team won its first title in the Basketball World Cup, defeating Serbia 83-77, in a duel between two European powers that took place in Manila, Philippines.

The Germans relied on their 22-10 lead in the third quarter, led by brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, to maintain their lead and did not miss the mark in their favor throughout the match.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Dennis Schröder, a member of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, contributed 28 points for Germany, well above his average of 17.9 points per game, to which he added two rebounds and a pair of assists.

Germany completed a perfect 8-0 run in the tournament, becoming the fifth team to win undefeated. Previously, the best result for the Germans in the World Cup finals was a bronze medal in Indianapolis 2002.

Serbia suffered new disappointment after losing to the United States 129-92 in the 2014 final in Madrid, Spain, and its last exit in the quarter-finals in 2019 in China.

The United States, the favorites to win the title, lost 127-118 to Canada in the third-place match.

What’s called Dream Team It suffered complications at different stages of the tournament, after losing to Lithuania 110-104, and losing in the semi-finals to Germany 113-111.

Brooklyn Nets player Mikal Bridges made a miracle basket after scoring a free throw. He deliberately missed the second goal and grabbed the rebound to score a three-pointer that might force overtime. But the painful basket was not enough to prevent the Stars and Stripes from returning empty-handed, and after 87 years of waiting, Canada returned to the podium.

The most prominent players of the Maple Leaf team include Dillon Brooks, who scored 39 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who contributed 31 points and 12 assists, as Canada won its first medal since 1936.

The United States was eliminated without medals to the World Cup for the second time in a row. This was only the seventh time out of 38 Olympic or World Games appearances that the team did not receive any type of decoration.