Germany are the kings of the basketball world after finishing atop a gritty Serbian side 83-77 in the FIBA World Cup Championship Game in Manila overnight behind Dennis Schröder’s game-high 28 points.
It marks the greatest result in Germany’s rich international history besting their bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA World Cup in the United States.
A tight opening half saw both teams enter the intermission tied at 47-apiece before the German defence tightened its screws to break the game open in a third quarter in which they outscored Serbia 22-10.
The spirited Serbians refused to yield cutting the deficit to as low as two in the final minute but a late Schröder layup coupled with a pair of free throws dragged Germany over the line for a famous win.
Schröder finished with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting to cap off a phenomenal tournament in which he was named in the All-Star Five.
22-year-old Franz Wagner finished with 19 points on 10-of-11 from the stripe and seven rebounds whilst Johannes Voigtmann added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Germany won the rebounding battle and scored 19 points off 12 Serbian turnovers.
Serbia were led by Aleksa Avramović’s 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting whilst Bogdan Bogdanović – who was also named in the tournament’s All-Star Five – put up 17 points and five assists.
Despite the loss, Serbia put up a tremendous fight sans their star player and reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokić as well as a host of other contributors.
With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games only 12 months away, both Germany and Serbia will be eager to build off successful World Cup campaigns and etch their names in Olympic history.
