Schroder, Germany fall short vs.France
Germany desperately needed Thunder point guard Dennis Schroder's first basket of the FIBA World Cup Sunday. He launched a 3- pointer from the left wing to threaten France for the first time.
It wouldn't last.
Germany' s 78-74 loss to France in its first game of the Group Phase included a run in the second quarter that showed how potent Germany's offense could be with Schroder running the floor.
Germany finally ended its scoring drought 7 1/2 minutes in, curbing the 14-0 run France opened the game with. Schroder collapsed France' s defense as he drove to the basket, pump-faked and kicked a pass out to Maodo Lo for a corner 3-pointer.
Germany would score just one more point on a free throw in the first quarter, but it went on a 16-3 run in the second with Schroder spraying assists all over the court: a long-range pass under the basket, a quick dish at the rim, a dime in transition.
He capped off the run with a 3- pointer, after missing his first four shots of the game. That
cut France's lead to four points.
That was as close as Germany would get in a first half that ended with France leading 36-20.
Germany st aged another comeback in the second half, and a basket by Paul Zipser with seven seconds on the clock put Germany one shot away from a win. Instead, Evan Fournier made a pair of free throws to claim victory for France.
“I' m very proud of them for coming back in a game that you start this bad,” German coach Henrik Rodl said. “They came back and have even a small chance to turn the game around and win. I know my team has a lot of heart. We will bounce back.”
Schroder shot 7-of- 19 from the field and logged eight assists.
USA starts strong
The United States began its FIBA World Cup campaign with a 88-67 win over the Czech Republic.
With the NBA's top-tier stars choosing to stay home for the tournament, USA coach Gregg Popovich's squad presented a balanced scoring effort in its World Cup opener. Four of the United States' five starters finished the game scoring in double digits.
“This is the first time these guys have played together,” Popovich said, “s o when we s ee t hat we're trusting each other, whether it's ... making the extra pass at the offensive end or playing the defense that we played tonight, it's encouraging.”
After a back-and forth first quarter, Team USA steadily widened the gap through the l ast three
periods. In the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell showed off how comfortable the United States' offense had become with a two-handed dunk that brought fans to their feet. Utah's third-year guard led Team USA with 16 points.