The Germans crashed the Americans in FIBA World Cup semifinal, Serbia heads to final with win over Canada

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A late comeback by the United States wasn't enough to overcome a huge third quarter by Germany as the Americans lost in the FIBA World Cup semifinal, 113-111.

The Germans outscored the U.S. by 11 points in the third quarter thanks, in part, to big buckets from Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner and five 3-pointers from the team. Wagner finished with a game-high 22 points.

For a moment, the U.S. had a shot to retake the lead with 95 seconds left in the game. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves scored six points and seven points, respectively, to draw within one point. But Germany's Andreas Obst hit a 3-pointer and Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schröder nailed a jumper to push the lead back to six — a deficit the U.S. couldn't overcome in the final moments

Both teams held tight for the first half. The Germans led by two points after one quarter but the Americans rallied to take a one-point led at halftime behind nine from Edwards and eight from Mikal Bridges.

Germany built a seemingly insurmountable 10-point lead in the third quarter, though, that the U.S. could come back. That lead rose to as high as 12 midway through the fourth quarter.

Serbia wins after big first half

Serbia jumped out to a 23-15 lead in the first quarter and never trailed by more than three points in the game. By halftime, the Serbians led 52-39 and maintained their advantage for the rest of the contest.

The Canadians were led by New York Knicks guard R.J. Barrett, who scored 23 points with three 3-pointers. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points with nine assists while Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks added 16 points — three of which came from behind the arc.

Bogdan Bogdanović once again led the Serbians in their 95-86 win over Canada. The Atlanta Hawks wing scored a team-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with three 3-pointers. He also added four rebounds, three assists and three steals.