After missing the team’s last four games, Franz Wagner finally made his return to help Germany fend off a determined Latvia, 81-79, securing their place in the semifinals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Franz, who had suffered a left ankle injury in the team’s opening game against Japan, provided a spark off the bench and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 24 minutes and 13 seconds of play.
“First of all, I give Latvia a lot of credit. Like I said two months ago, they’re the best team in Europe that nobody talks about, and they’re missing a couple of guys too,” said Germany head coach Gordie Herbert.
“They played great basketball, team basketball, they shot well, were well-coached, so I give them a lot of credit,” he added.
Germany will face Team USA in the Final Four on Friday.
The eighth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft hit a stepback jumper to give the Mannschaft their largest lead, 74-60, with 6:42 remaining in the game.
Latvia, however, did not go down without a fight. Arturs Zagars scored four points in a critical 8-0 run that reduced a 79-69 deficit to just two points, 79-77, with 51 seconds left on the clock.
Daniel Theis then made two free throws after a foul by Davis Bertans, extending the lead to four points. However, Zagars immediately responded with a layup, keeping the Latvians within striking distance with 33 seconds remaining.
Dennis Schroder, who had struggled throughout the game, missed a floater on the other end, giving Latvia one last chance to secure the victory.
Unfortunately, Bertans missed the game-winning three-pointer for Latvia with two seconds left as the Germans secured their first semifinal ticket since their bronze finish in the 2002 FIBA World Cup.
Andreas Obst contributed 13 points, including three triples, for the Mannschaft, while Moritz Wagner and Johannes Thiemann added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Schroder, on the other hand, missed his first 12 shots of the game but finished with nine points on a horrid 4-of-26 shooting, along with four assists and two steals.
On the other hand, Zagars was the top scorer for the Latvians, who will now head to the classification phase, with 24 points and eight assists, while Bertans contributed 20 points, including six triples.
Latvia will compete against Italy in the classification round on Thursday.
The Scores:
Germany 81 – Wagner F. 16, Obst 13, Wagner M. 12, Thiemann 10, Theis 9, Schroder 9, Lo 6, Voigtmann 3, Bonga 3, Hollatz 0.
Latvia 79 – Zagars 24, Bertans 20, Smits 14, Grazulis 8, Kurucs R. 7, Zoriks 4, Kurucs A. 2, Skele 0, Strautins 0, Cavars 0.
Quarterscores: 13-16; 36-34; 62-59; 81-79
