FIBA World Cup 2023: Dennis Schroder a menace for Australia as Germany win Group E thriller to reach next round 

Paris 2024

The German point guard orchestrated a resounding 85-82 victory with 30 points that made him the second player from his country to score 30+ at the World Cup after Dirk Nowitzki.

3 minBy Shintaro Kano
Dennis Schroder torched Australia for 30 points.

(2023 Getty Images)

Dennis Schroder joined Dirk Nowitzki in some exclusive company under the gaze of the man himself - and produced a riveting win in the process.

Schroder had a game-high 30 points to lead Germany past Australia 85-82 in a Group E nail-biter at FIBA World Cup 2023 on Sunday (27 August) at Okinawa Arena.

Schroder became only the second German to score 30 or more in a World Cup game after newly enshrined Hall-of-Famer Nowitzki, who was courtside for the game.

It was Germany’s first-ever victory at the men’s senior level over Australia, who had been 6-0.

Their second win at this World Cup is enough to see them through to the next round. 

“Dirk is the best four man who ever played the game, changed the game of basketball,” said Schroder, who also had eight assists and four steals.

“He’s a Hall of Famer in the league, got a championship. Of course it’s a good thing but at the end of the day, we got a W as a team and that’s most important for us, for me.”

Patty Mills led Australia with 21 points, 13 of which came in the first quarter.

Josh Giddey, who had 17 points but just one rebound and three assists, was the only scorer in double figures.

Mills became the third Australian to reach 300 points at the World Cup, joining Andrew Gaze and Phil Smyth, but he was far from being in a celebratory mood.

Australia were down at half-time in a World Cup game for the first time since 2014 and when trailing at the break, they had won just once in 16 previous occasions.

Germany, on the other hand, had won 18 of 21 when up at the intermission.

Schroder wasn’t the only one doing significant damage to Australia. His backup, Maodo Lo, stepped up big time in the absence of Franz Wagner, who sat out with an ankle sprain.

Lo scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, several of them down the stretch when it mattered, and put Giddey under tenacious pressure.

Schroder said Lo was his choice as man of the match.

“Maodo Lo man, he’s supposed to be the MVP of this game,” the new Toronto Raptor said. “He helped us out big time because Franz Wagner is out. It’s a big-time performance by him.”

Australia coach Brian Goorjian said the two guards absolutely killed his team.

“We played them in Tokyo and they didn’t have Schroder. It’s a different deal,” Goorjian said, referring to the 89-76 victory in the group phase of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“The other guard was tremendous when Schroder was out of there. We had a strategy for that, to go after him when Schroder rested. He was the one that kept them going, hit big shot after big shot.

“The two of them had 50 tonight and I didn’t think I’d be sitting here, saying that is how we’d lose the game. They had their way with us.”

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