MANILA: In a historic victory, Germany triumphed over Serbia with a final score of 83-77 to capture their maiden Basketball World Cup title. This achievement marks Germany’s first-ever World Cup win in basketball and follows their unbeaten journey through the tournament.
The German squad, making their inaugural appearance in a World Cup final, displayed their prowess as they surged ahead of Serbia during the third quarter in the thrilling encounter held in Manila. While Serbia mounted a spirited comeback in the fourth quarter, Germany successfully fended off their advances, ultimately securing their place in basketball history with their name etched on the prestigious Trophy.
Dennis Schroder emerged as the leading scorer for Germany with an impressive 28 points, closely followed by Franz Wagner, who contributed 19 points to the team’s victory. Germany’s path to the final included a dramatic semi-final win against the United States.
Reflecting on their historic win, Germany’s Maodo Lo expressed the team’s jubilation, stating, “We’re the champions of the world, we’re undefeated, we won every single game. I think we deserved this world championship.”
Serbia Faces Early Setback
Serbia, aiming to secure their first title as an independent nation, faced a setback early in the game when small forward Ognjen Dobric suffered an injury within the first three minutes of play. Despite the setback, Serbia rallied with the support of their dedicated fan base but couldn’t keep pace with Germany in the second half.
Aleksa Avramovic emerged as the top scorer for Serbia with 21 points, followed by Bogdan Bogdanovic, who contributed 17 points to his team’s effort.
The first half of the game witnessed a closely contested battle between the two teams, resulting in a halftime score of 47-47. However, the tide turned decisively in the third quarter when Germany outscored Serbia 22-10, creating a significant lead.
In the final quarter, Serbia launched a furious comeback, narrowing the deficit to three points with less than a minute remaining. Nevertheless, Germany held their ground, sealing the victory with a lay-up from Schroder and withstanding a missed three-point attempt from Avramovic, dashing Serbia’s hopes of a late-game turnaround.
Serbia’s Head Coach Acknowledges Germany’s Well-Deserved Victory
Serbia’s head coach, Svetislav Pesic, acknowledged Germany’s well-deserved victory, emphasizing their consistent high-level performance throughout the tournament. He commented, “If one team like Germany won all the games from the start until the end, we must everybody say bravo.” Serbia’s next aim is to secure a spot in the Olympics and achieve a successful campaign.
Serbia played without power forward Borisa Simanic, who underwent surgery to remove a kidney after sustaining an injury earlier in the tournament. Additionally, superstar Nikola Jokic opted to skip the tournament to rest after leading the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title in the previous season.
