Team Germany started slow but took over Greece’s weakness to defeat them in the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball quarter-finals. Why did Team Greece lose despite taking the lead?
Team Greece Took the Lead
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Team Greece came in hot in the first quarter, taking advantage of Team Germany’s defensive mistakes. The German team made turnovers, which led to steals and points against them. Also, this team committed fouls that gave Greece the offensive advantage.
After the first quarter, the Greek team led with a 10-point margin against Germany 21-11. With this loss margin, the Greek basketball fans were relaxed as they didn’t foresee Germany’s comeback. Also, the Greeks have Giannis Antetokounmpo; thus, there’s no problem. Well, they were right about that because Team Greece took the lead in the second quarter.
Team Germany Took Their Chances
As the Greek team maintained their domination throughout the second quarter, the German team went all out offensively to come back from a 10-point deficit. The struggle for Germany was real as the team had to double their effort in the second quarter. Therefore, the German team brought out their trump card, Moritz Wagner.
Moritz Wagner came off the bench to ensure that every move and effort he made gave his team the advantage. The German coach also brought Nick Weiler-Babb from the bench who made a difference with his three-point shots and layup to contribute to Germany’s effort to come back. After the second quarter, Germany led Greece with a 10-point margin which helped the former team come back from their first-quarter loss. Thus, the first quarter ended 36-36.
Key Takeaways From This Olympic Game
The second half of the game displayed Team Greece’s weakness. In the first half, while the German team was losing, their coach could make good rotation decisions to help the team come back from their 10-point loss. However, it wasn’t the same for the Greek team.
Due to poor rotation pieces, the Greeks couldn’t elevate their momentum from the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Greek team only had 15 points. Also, due to a lack of impact from their bench players, the Greeks couldn’t match the German’s offensive performance. Therefore, the former team finished with 16 and 11 points in the third and fourth quarters, giving the Germans the lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 22 points, three assists, and two rebounds, shooting 9-of-14 field goals and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.
The Wagner brothers took over the second half of the game. Franz Wagner finished as the team’s top performer with 18 points, two assists, three steals, and three rebounds. Also from the field, the German forward got 8-of-17 attempts. Moritz Wagner was the team’s best sixth man as he made every effort count in his performance. Mortiz got eight points, three assists, five rebounds, and a steal with a perfect shot from the field (3-of-3) and charity stripe (2-of-2).
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