Germany makes history, advances to the Olympic semi finals

Germany’s men’s basketball team made history by advancing to the Olympic semi-finals for the first time, defeating Greece 76-63 and eliminating Giannis Antetokounmpo from the competition.

After trailing by 12 points in the first quarter, Germany rallied to tie the game at halftime and gained momentum in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Franz Wagner led Germany with 18 points, while Antetokounmpo scored 22 points in a losing effort. Germany remains undefeated in the tournament and will face either France or Canada in the semi-finals.

A dunk by Johannes Thiemann with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter gave Germany a 54-50 lead. Thiemann contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and a steal, while Dennis Schroder added 13 points and assists off the bench.

Greece started strong, with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dunk putting them up 16-4 in the first quarter. An alley-oop dunk by Antetokounmpo, set up by Nick Calathes, and a subsequent three-pointer by Calathes extended Greece’s lead to 12 points with less than a minute left in the quarter, energizing their fans.

Germany gradually gained momentum, with Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner each scoring six points in the first half, and dominating the rebounds to erase Greece’s lead. A thrilling alley-oop dunk by Daniel Theis, set up by Dennis Schroder, tied the game at 36-36 just before halftime.

Schroder opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, giving Germany its first lead, and after a intense back-and-forth battle, Isaac Bonga’s buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter put Germany ahead 59-52, setting the stage for the final period.