Germany claimed a hard-fought 99-91 victory over Slovenia in Wednesday’s EuroBasket quarterfinal, despite Luka Dončić putting up 39 points for the losing side.
Orlando Magic guard Franz Wagner led Germany with 23 points, while captain Dennis Schröder added 20 points and seven assists as the World Cup champions advanced to face Finland in the semifinals on Friday.
The game remained tight throughout, with Andreas Obst’s three-pointer triggering a 12-0 run that put Germany ahead 77-74 early in the fourth quarter.
Slovenia briefly regained the lead at 86-85 following a Dončić three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining, but Schröder responded with his lone successful three-pointer to give Germany the edge at 88-86, closing out the game from there.
Despite a technical foul early in the game and picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter, Dončić continued to score, finishing with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Meanwhile, Finland reached the semifinals for the first time with a 93-79 win over Georgia. Mikael Jantunen led the Finns with 19 points, while Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen added 17 points and six rebounds.
Finland showcased depth, scoring 44 points from the bench to Georgia’s four, and led by 20 points in the third quarter before Georgia narrowed the gap to six late in the fourth.
Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 22 points, while highly-rated 18-year-old Miikka Muurinen contributed seven off the bench.
Finland will now face Germany in the semifinals, with all knockout matches hosted in Riga, Latvia, culminating in Sunday’s final.
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