With the shotclock winding down, Dennis Schröder let it fly from the logo at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday, August 6 (Philippine time).
It went in, and Schröder flashed a mischievous smile.
Such was the story for Germany, which remained composed when it trailed by 10 in the opener on the way to a 76-63 win over Greece in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s basketball quarterfinals.
Everything just clicked for the Die Mannschaft after an 11-21 start, outscoring the Hellas, 48-31, in the next two quarters and doing just enough to keep their foes at bay towards the end.
Franz Wagner proved steady for the reigning FIBA World Cup champions, firing 18 points including a tough bucket with 3:27 remaining in the fourth period for a 67-57 advantage.
Daniel Theis followed it up with a pair of free throws and it was all Germany from there.
Schröder finished with 13 points and eight assists, Johannes Thiemann added 10 points and six rebounds, and Isaac Bonga had nine markers, six rebounds, and two assists.
Germany will face the winner between host France and Canada.
Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to carry Greece on his broad shoulders with 22 points, two rebounds, three assists, and a block.
His Herculean numbers just didn’t cut it.
Thomas Walkup and Kostas Papanikolaou added 13 and 10 points, respectively for Greece.
