Germany frustrates Latvia and strikes a fiery meeting with America
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The German team ended their Latvian counterpart's thrilling adventure at the Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan after narrowly defeating them 81-79 in the quarterfinals in Manila on Wednesday.
Germany set a date for the United States in an intense showdown for a place in the final, while Serbia faces the winner of Slovenia and Canada, who will play later.
The German team returns to the round of 16 for the first time in 21 years, as it last reached the semi-finals in Indianapolis and finished third, led by its historic star Dirk Nowitzki, who later won the award as the best player and top scorer of the tournament.
Latvia, on the other hand, a country with 1,884,000 inhabitants, surprised everyone at the current World Cup with a solid and powerful performance, despite the absence of its leading actor Kristaps Porzingis due to injury.
The Latvians were one basket away from reaching the semifinals in their first World Cup appearance, but Davis Bertans' three-point attempt failed seconds before the end of the game and the Germans escaped with a difficult two-point victory.
The game was exciting from the start as the Latvians sounded the alarm by taking a 13-3 lead thanks to two hat tricks from Bertans and a 16-8 lead midway through the first quarter.
But little by little the German team caught their breath and reduced the score to 16:13 at the end of this quarter.
The German team improved significantly in the second quarter, led by brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, giving the team a 36:34 lead at the end of the first half.
The third quarter continued to be exciting with a very even score as neither team was able to gain a clear lead until the German team struck hard and extended the lead to 10 points two minutes before the end of the game.
The Germans thought they were close to the decision, but the reaction of the Latvian team was astonishing, they reduced the lead to two points with seconds left and were on the verge of snatching the victory that ultimately belonged to Germany.
Franz Wagner scored 16 points with 8 rebounds, his brother Moritz contributed 12 points with 4 rebounds and Andreas Obst also contributed 13 points, including 3 three-pointers.
For Latvia, which was missing Dairis Bertans due to injury, Christers Zurex scored 24 points and Davis Bertans added 20 points, including 6 three-pointers.
Germany set a date for the United States in an intense showdown for a place in the final, while Serbia faces the winner of Slovenia and Canada, who will play later.
The German team returns to the round of 16 for the first time in 21 years, as it last reached the semi-finals in Indianapolis and finished third, led by its historic star Dirk Nowitzki, who later won the award as the best player and top scorer of the tournament.
Latvia, on the other hand, a country with 1,884,000 inhabitants, surprised everyone at the current World Cup with a solid and powerful performance, despite the absence of its leading actor Kristaps Porzingis due to injury.
The Latvians were one basket away from reaching the semifinals in their first World Cup appearance, but Davis Bertans' three-point attempt failed seconds before the end of the game and the Germans escaped with a difficult two-point victory.
The game was exciting from the start as the Latvians sounded the alarm by taking a 13-3 lead thanks to two hat tricks from Bertans and a 16-8 lead midway through the first quarter.
But little by little the German team caught their breath and reduced the score to 16:13 at the end of this quarter.
The German team improved significantly in the second quarter, led by brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, giving the team a 36:34 lead at the end of the first half.
The third quarter continued to be exciting with a very even score as neither team was able to gain a clear lead until the German team struck hard and extended the lead to 10 points two minutes before the end of the game.
The Germans thought they were close to the decision, but the reaction of the Latvian team was astonishing, they reduced the lead to two points with seconds left and were on the verge of snatching the victory that ultimately belonged to Germany.
Franz Wagner scored 16 points with 8 rebounds, his brother Moritz contributed 12 points with 4 rebounds and Andreas Obst also contributed 13 points, including 3 three-pointers.
For Latvia, which was missing Dairis Bertans due to injury, Christers Zurex scored 24 points and Davis Bertans added 20 points, including 6 three-pointers.
America defeats Italy and advances to the semi-finals of the World Cup
With the impressive 100:63 victory over the Italian basketball team this Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the World Cup held in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, the American basketball team took a new step towards regaining the world title.
The American team deservedly qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, where next Friday they will face the winner of the match between the German and Latvian teams scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday.
The American team shares the record with the team from the former Yugoslavia for the number of world titles won, with 5 titles each, and America hopes to win the title of the current version of the tournament to keep the record.
The American team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last edition in China in 2019 and finished sixth in the final round, its worst result in the history of its participation in the World Cup.
The American team deservedly qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, where next Friday they will face the winner of the match between the German and Latvian teams scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday.
The American team shares the record with the team from the former Yugoslavia for the number of world titles won, with 5 titles each, and America hopes to win the title of the current version of the tournament to keep the record.
The American team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last edition in China in 2019 and finished sixth in the final round, its worst result in the history of its participation in the World Cup.
