Germany beat Serbia, win 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
2 Min Read
The Germans, who went unbeaten through the tournament and were appearing in their first final, dominated the match in the third quarter in Manila.
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Germany's players celebrate with head coach Gordie Herbert during the awarding ceremony after winning against Serbia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup final game in Manila on September 10, 2023 (AFP)
Germany beat Serbia 83-77 on Sunday to win the Basketball World Cup for the first time.
The Germans, who went unbeaten through the tournament and were appearing in their first final, dominated the match in the third quarter in Manila.
Serbia launched a furious fourth-quarter fightback, but Germany managed to hold them off and put their name on the Naismith Trophy.
Dennis Schroder finished as Germany's top scorer with 28 points, followed by Franz Wagner with 19.
Germany had beaten the United States in a dramatic semi-final that ended 113-111.
Undefeated. World Champions. 🏆
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 10, 2023
🇩🇪 81-63 🇯🇵
🇩🇪 85-82 🇦🇺
🇩🇪 101-75 🇫🇮
🇩🇪 100-73 🇬🇪
🇩🇪 100-71 🇸🇮
🇩🇪 81-79 🇱🇻
🇩🇪 113-111 🇺🇸
🇩🇪 83-77 🇷🇸#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/Q2qOxP7Ah7
Serbia, looking to win the title for the first time, lost small forward Ognjen Dobric to injury less than three minutes after the start of the match.
Serbia could not keep up with Germany in the second half. Aleksa Avramovic finished as Serbia's top scorer with 21 points, followed by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 17.
There was little to separate the two teams in a fiercely fought first half that ended 47-47. That all changed in the third quarter when Germany outscored the Serbians 22-10.
In the fourth quarter, Serbia came back into the game to cut the deficit to three points with less than a minute remaining.
But a lay-up from Schroder and a missed three-point attempt from Avramovic ended Serbia's hopes.
GERMANY ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS 🏆#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/I8lopQbB33
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 10, 2023
Serbia played without power forward Borisa Simanic, who underwent surgery to remove a kidney after getting injured earlier in the tournament.
The team played without superstar Nikola Jokic, who skipped the tournament to rest after leading the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title last season.
