English Woman's Journal - Germany beat Antetokounmpo's Greece to reach Olympic basketball semis

Germany beat Antetokounmpo's Greece to reach Olympic basketball semis


Germany beat Antetokounmpo's Greece to reach Olympic basketball semis
Germany beat Antetokounmpo's Greece to reach Olympic basketball semis / Photo: Aris MESSINIS - AFP

World Cup champions Germany reached the Olympic men's basketball semi-finals for the first time Tuesday, coming from behind to beat Greece 76-63 and dumping two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the Games.

Change text size:

Trailing by as many as 12 in the first quarter, Germany had knotted the score at 36-36 at halftime and after a tense third quarter roared away in the fourth to book a meeting with either host nation France or Canada for a place in the final.

Germany, fuelled by 18 points from Franz Wagner, withstood a 22-point performance from Antetokounmpo to remain unbeaten in four games.

Johannes Thiemann's dunk with 1:24 left in the third put Germany up 54-50. Thiemann finished with 10 points, six rebounds and a steal and Dennis Schroder had 13 points and assists coming off the bench.

Greece burst out of the gate and their fans were on their feet when Antetokounmpo threw down a dunk that pushed their lead to 16-4 with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Nick Calathes found Antetokounmpo for an alley-oop dunk less than a minute later and Calathes followed with a three-pointer that put Greece up by 12 with less than a minute left in the first.

But Germany slowly turned the tide, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner scored six first-half points apiece and Germany dominated on the boards as they clawed back to tie it up.

Schroder found Daniel Theis for an alley-oop that made it 36-36 seconds before halftime.

Schroder opened the third with a three-pointer that gave Germany their first lead of the game and after a back-and-forth battle Isaac Bonga's three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third sent the Germans into the final period with a 59-52 lead.

R.Mcintosh--EWJ

Featured

FA Cup Second-Round Draw Confirmed for Non-League and Midlands Clubs

The FA Cup second-round draw has been finalized, setting up crucial ties for non-league teams aiming to reach the third round proper. Several clubs from the Midlands, including Burton Albion and Kidderminster Harriers, have secured their next opponents following recent victories over lower-league opposition.

Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium

The new Penrith Stadium is expected to be ready in time for the opening round of the 2027 NRL season, but it’s still likely the Panthers is expected to be on the road for their early matches. There is no delay to the build of the new $309 million venue but there’s a lack of appetite for risk around weather delays through the summer.

Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points, one of five players in double figures for No. 9 Virginia as the Cavaliers routed No.

Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Tayyab Arif smashed an aggressive half-century on debut and provided a new-look Pakistan lineup a confident start to the first cricket test against Sri Lanka on Monday. The 20-year-old Tayyab struck nine boundaries and a six in his 57-run knock as Pakistan reached 137-2 at lunch on a greenish wicket that lured Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis to bowl first after winning the toss.

Change text size: