Germany hands France their first loss in Olympic group stage

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — In a highly anticipated showdown between two top contenders for the gold medal, Germany emerged victorious over France with a final score of 85-71 in men’s Olympic basketball. Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner led the charge for Germany, each putting up impressive performances with 26 points apiece. The win sets the stage for an exciting quarterfinal matchup in Paris as the tournament progresses towards the medal rounds.

Daniel Theis added seven points and eight rebounds to help Germany finish unbeaten atop Group B.

It was France’s first loss of the group stage.

Victor Wembanyama had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the host country, which trailed by 21 at halftime and struggled to deal with Wagner on the inside, and Schroder’s outside shooting and ability to get into the interior of France’s defense.

Germany outscored France 24-9 in the second quarter. France had eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

With Wembanyama sitting to start the fourth, France finally found some traction, cutting the deficit to 12. By the time Wembanyama re-entered the game with 4:30 to play, Germany’s lead had ballooned back up to 19.