The FIBA World Cup tipped off the tournament with 32 teams in action including OKC Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and his German squad.
OKC Thunder backup reserve point guard Dennis Schroder‘s German team got their first taste of action at the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Day two of the event.
Unlike his thunder teammate Danilo Gallinari, Dennis Schroder didn’t leave the court with a smile after his team played their first game as the German’s suffered a nail biting loss of 78-74 to the French team.
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In his first game of the FIBA 2019 tournament, Schroder showcased why he’s such an integral part of his national team. The point guard amassed 23 points, the second most by his team. Johannes Voigtmann led the way with 25 points.
Schroder added four rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. On the negative front, Schroder collected four personal fouls and contributed four turnovers.
In all, four players on the German squad play in the NBA including Boston Celtics big man Daniel Theis, Chicago Bulls frontcourt player Paul Zipser and Dallas Mavericks forward Maximilian Kleber.
The French team also boasted four NBA pros with Charlotte Hornets guard/forward Nicolas Batum, Orlando Magic guard/forward Evan Fournier, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, and New York Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina.
The game was a tale of two halves with the Germans coming very close to battling back for the win. Unfortunately, France jumped on the Germans in the first quarter grabbing a 12 point lead via a 16-4 frame.
The second quarter was more evenly contested (20-16) but France hit the break with 36-20 lead. Coming out of the lockers the Germans refocused their efforts and outscored the French 30-23 in the third frame and also won the final frame 24-19 but still fell four points short of the victory.
Game two for the Germans will find them playing Group G opponent the Dominican Republic on September 3rd.