France overcame a slow start to turn Germany back, advancing to the men's basketball finals of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Host France is back in the Olympic finals for the second consecutive time after pulling away against reigning FIBA World Cup champion Germany, 73-69, at the Bercy Arena on Friday, August 9 (Philippine time).
The French will play in the men's basketball final for the third time, having yet to win gold in the Olympics, falling to the United States both in Sydney 2000 and in Tokyo 2020.
This was also a bounce-back win for France after losing to Germany in the group stage, 85-71.
In the crucial semifinals, it was France's role players who stepped up big time for the squad. Guerschon Yabusele led the way with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
Isaia Cordinier also contributed 16 markers, including the two free throws that gave France the victory.
This was on the backs of a slow start in the first quarter from the French, which saw Germany take a 12-2 lead to start the match.
France eventually climbed their way back into the game, tying the match at 33-all at halftime.
In the third quarter, the French built a six-point lead on the backs of Isaia Cordinier and Guerschon Yabusele, limiting the Germans’ high-octane offense to just 17 points.
With momentum on their side and the home crowd cheering them on, France extended their lead, building it to as high as 13 points at 66-53 after a three-point shot by Frank Ntilikina.
The Germans, however, did not go down without a fight. Andreas Obst’s three-pointer cut the lead to six points with just over three minutes left in the contest.
With both teams struggling to make a basket, Dennis Schroder broke the slump with a layup to bring the world no. 3 to within four points with less than a minute to go.
After Mathias Lessort split his free throws, Franz Wagner connected on a long-range trey to cut the lead once more to just two points at 70-68.
Germany, on the other end, forced Nic Batum to miss a desperation three in the corner, but Wagner was unable to fully secure the rebound and slipped to the sidelines.
Victor Wembanyama split his free throws, leaving the door open for the Germans. However, Schroder could not take advantage, as he also missed his first free throw, which ultimately sealed the match.
Wembanyama struggled again, finishing with just 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists.
After sitting out their quarterfinals match against Canada, Rudy Gobert, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, played just five minutes against Germany.
On the other hand, Schroder did all he could for Germany with 18 points, while Wagner added 10 in the loss.