Despite suffering an upset defeat in the final group match, Team USA put on a show of strength in the quarterfinals and indicated that Team USA is still the favorite for the World Cup. Steve Kerr’s side beat Italy into the top eight by a wide margin of around 40 points, and Germany could follow on Friday in the final.
The only major NBA star in the German national team was Dennis Schröder, while on the American side only basketball players from the strongest league in the world came to the court. As usual, the Americans started the game very slowly, and Germany quickly gained a five-point advantage, but then Steve Kerr’s team quickly woke up and caught up. Although the Germans actually led by 10 units during the first quarter, they won the game by only two points.
In the second quarter, the team under Anthony Edwards took control, mainly with baskets by Minnesota star and Miles Bridges, so the two teams went into halftime with just a one-point lead.
As it turned out, the third quarter was decisive, as Team USA’s defense collapsed, and at the same time, the Germans’ shooting efficiency reached an almost unbelievable level, as almost all of their mid-range and three-point shots fell into the hoop. Thanks to that, they entered the final period with a 10-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, the American team did everything in its power to translate, and approached the hairline, and became one point away from its competitor, but failed to seize the lead.
In the final seconds, Dennis Schroeder hit a basic double shot into the ring, and on the other side, the hands of Anthony Edward and Austin Reeves shook, as Germany beat the USA team 113-111.
Thus, the United States team once again failed to qualify for the World Cup, while the Germans can prepare for the World Cup final for the first time in their history.
The Serbs were very stubborn against Canada
The Canadians, along with seven NBA players, qualified for their first World Cup final, while the Balkan team attempted to reach the second final of the last three World Cups. The Serbs – still known as Serbia and Montenegro – celebrated World Cup victories in 1998 and 2002, and in the latter tournament Svetislav Pesic, who still manages the team, sat on the bench. The 74-year-old coaching legend was also Adam Hanga’s coach at Barcelona.
Both teams were missing their biggest stars, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who became NBA champions together in June with the Denver Nuggets, but neither of whom went to the World Cup.
In the previous tournament in 2019, No. 21 Canada led just 13-12, but the Europeans turned it around on an 11-0 run to take a 15-point lead at 52-37. After the break, the Canadians could only catch up with eight points, as they could not cope with the excellent defensive work of the Serbs, and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks), who finished with 23 points.
Among the North American national team, RJ Barrett also excelled with 23 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was mentioned as one of the contenders for the tournament’s best title, scored only 15 points.
The Serbs will face Germany in the final on Sunday.
Semi-final result:
- Serbia-Canada 95-86 (23-15, 29-24, 23-24, 20-23)
- USA-Germany 111-113 (31-33, 29-26, 24-35, 27-19)
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