Germany will play for gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup after upsetting Team USA 113-111 in the semifinals on Friday.
Led by the likes of Andreas Obst, Daniel Theis and Dennis Schroder, the Germans cut through the American defense with ease, picking up its first ever win over Steve Kerr‘s side.
It means Germany are now on the cusp of a world title, as they will play Serbia in Sunday’s final. As for the USA, they will play Canada for bronze and now run the risk of not medalling for the second consecutive World Cup in a row.
Germany controlled most of the game
Obst led the way with 24 points for Germany, while Franz Wagner added in 22 and Theis poured in 21.
In fact, Obst hit what proved to be the shot of the night, firing home a three-pointer with a little over a minute remaining to put Germany up by four.
Although the USA tried to battle back, their attempts came up short, just like they had all game, as the Americans led just four and a half of the game’s 40 minutes compared to Germany’s 30.
“We knew the task at hand, and that was to go win,” said U.S. guard Austin Reaves. “And we didn’t do that.”
Despite being down by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, the USA cut the deficit to as little as one on two occasions, with Anthony Edwards leading the way with 23 points.
However, the US roster, which includes no All-NBA players and nobody with previous Olympic or world experience for the first time in the Dream Team era, just couldn’t find that last push to complete the comeback.
As a result it’s Germany, the last unbeaten team left in the tournament at 7-0, who will play Serbia for the World Cup title on Sunday.
Team USA will now play for bronze when they take on Canada, as they look to avoid losing three times at a major tournament for the first time since the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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