What a basketball thriller! Germany brings Turkey to its knees

Led by a strong Dennis Schröder , basketball world champions Germany maintained their flawless record in preparation for the European Championship. The national team narrowly won 73-71 (28-35) in Munich despite a very weak first half and will play for the Supercup title on Saturday evening (8:45 p.m./MagentaSport).

Schröder contributed 22 points, four rebounds, and six assists in the comeback after a mixed opening. Young NBA star Franz Wagner also impressed with 17 points after a slow start. "We entered the game completely drained of energy, but then brought enough energy to win the game," Johannes Thiemann told Magentasport.

After two victories over Slovenia, national coach Alex Mumbru's team has also won its third game against a strong opponent before the European Championships (August 27 to September 14) - this time it remained exciting until the last second and the last throw.

A Supercup title, in which European Championship gold favorite Serbia will also be competing with NBA star Nikola Jokic, would be a sporting highlight. However, the national team still has plenty of room for improvement on the court. Johannes Voigtmann (ill), Maodo Lo, and David Krämer (both injured) were once again missing three key players. Mumbru hasn't been able to field all of his key players in any test so far.

The glory of the 2023 World Cup was on display before the start of the game in front of 11,500 spectators: Niels Giffey, who was among the gold medalists in Manila two years ago, was honored by association president Ingo Weiss and his deputy Armin Andres. The veteran no longer plays for the national team.

And the title-winning coach from back then was also there live at the SAP Garden: Gordon Herbert, now head coach of FC Bayern, took his seat in the front row, wearing shorts and holding snacks. What he saw, especially in the first half, had little to do with the brilliant performances of the medal-winning years.

Although Daniel Theis made his first appearance for the national team this summer after suffering from persistent knee pain, the 33-year-old center didn't yet appear truly agile or fit. Theis struggled defensively against the strong NBA pro Alperen Sengün and missed open shot attempts on offense.

Germany scored a meager 28 points in the first half. Rhythm and the necessary momentum were completely lacking. "We're not getting into the tempo we want to play at. I think they're getting too many offensive rebounds. We just need to shift gears," said point guard Justus Hollatz.

Things improved after the break. Wagner and Schröder took control offensively, and the defense also improved. Germany took the lead 44-43 in the third quarter. Young star Wagner showed his fists and further heated up the modern Munich Arena. The game remained exciting until the final minute, but Germany held its nerve in the close duel.

After the Supercup, the German Basketball Association (DB) team faces two test matches against defending champions Spain before traveling to Tampere, Finland, where they will kick off their campaign against Montenegro on August 27. They will also face Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, and Great Britain in Group B. The finals will take place in Latvia's capital, Riga.