MANILA – It will be Serbia versus Germany in the finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup as the two teams came away with contrasting wins over their respective semifinal foes Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
As such, the FIBA World Cup finals will feature an all-European showdown, as Germany pulled off a hard-earned win over a formidable NBA-laden USA team, winning, 113-111.
Andreas Obst led the charge with an impressive 24 points, complemented by Franz Wagner’s 22 points and Daniel Theis contributing 21 points, securing Germany’s spot in the finals.
Germany will now vie for the championship title against Serbia, which also defeated a star-studded Canadian squad in the other semifinal match earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, the USA and Canada will battle it out for the bronze medal on Sunday, September 10, at 4:30 p.m., just before the eagerly awaited Germany-Serbia title showdown is slated at 8:40 p.m.
Team USA engaged Germany in a see-saw game in the first and then took a slim 60-59 margin at the half before resetting the game at 64-all off Jaren Jackson, Jr.’s two free throws.
From there, Germany took the lead and showed the way and took a comfortable 92-84 advantage on Bobby Portis, Jr.’s banking floater at the end of the third canto.
The Germans never relinquished the lead but coach Steve Kerr’s wards dropped a telling 9-0 tear going into the final three minutes of play that shoved them up close at 103-106 capped by Anthony Edwards’ trey with 3:17 minutes to go.
US pulled closest at 107-108 courtesy of Austin Reaves’ two-of-two free throws, with 1:35 minutes left.
But equally determined, Germany responded with a step-back triple from Andreas Obst that gave them a 111-107 lead with a minute left.
And the rest was history.
The American team secured their spot in the semifinals with an emphatic 100-63 victory over Italy in the quarterfinals while Germany reached the semifinals after a tense 81-79 win against the crowd favorite, Latvia.
The semifinal showdown between Germany and the US marked the second encounter between the two countries in less than a month.
They faced off in an exhibition game on August 21, where the Americans staged a remarkable comeback from a 16-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Germans in Abu Dhabi.
Anthony Edwards erupted for 34 points in that exhibition match.
The Americans had a medal-less campaign in 2019, although its holds the distinction as the winningest team with five golds together with another country, Yugoslavia.
The Soviet Union has three (3), while Brazil and Spain have two (2) each and Argentina with 1.
Serbia outguns Canada
Serbia blazed a triumphant path to the FIBA World Cup final by outgunning a star-studded Canadian squad, prevailing with a score of 95-86 in the other knockout semifinal clash earlier played.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the charge for Serbia with an impressive 23 points, showcasing remarkable accuracy with an eight of 12 shooting record.
It’s noteworthy that Serbia boasts the fewest NBA players among all the semifinalists, with just two in their roster.
Ognjen Dobric contributed 16 points to the cause, while Nikola Milutinov delivered a double-double performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Serbia now advances to the championship game, where they will face the victor of the other semifinal matchup between the USA and Germany (playing at press time).
The American team secured their spot in the semifinals with a dominant 100-63 triumph over Italy in the quarterfinals, while Germany advanced after a nail-biting 81-79 victory over the crowd favorite, Latvia.
As the final quarter began, it became increasingly evident that Serbia was on the verge of securing the first ticket to the championship game in this year’s edition of the world’s premier basketball tournament.
At that point, Serbia held a commanding 77-63 lead, boosted by a dazzling steal and score by Aleksa Abramovic, followed by a three-pointer from Marko Guduric.
A timely tip-in by Dejan Davidovac further extended Serbia’s advantage to 17 points (82-65) with 8:35 remaining.
In response, Canada called for a timeout in a desperate bid to halt Serbia’s momentum.
Dillon Brooks then drained a crucial three-pointer to briefly interrupt Serbia’s dominance.
However, the Serbians, resolute in their determination, maintained a tenacious defense and a well-coordinated offensive strategy, effectively keeping the Canadians at bay.
Canada never managed to significantly narrow the gap but at the final count, and Serbia ultimately clinched the victory, securing their spot in the FIBA World Cup final.
After a silver medal finish in 2014, Serbia is now poised to contend for gold in the FIBA World Cup finals once again.
Serbia earned the first semifinal slot in the 2023 World Cup via a resounding 87-68 win over previously unbeaten Lithuania on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Team Canada advanced to the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 semifinals after taking down Slovenia 100-89 on Wednesday behind a 31-point, 10-rebound performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
(ai/mnm)
