Germany Stops Doncic: Eliminates Slovenia in Thrilling EuroBasket

In an exciting EuroBasket quarter-final match, Germany defeated Slovenia with a score of 99-91. Despite Luka Dončić’s impressive 39 points, Slovenia failed to secure the victory.

Wagner and Schröder Lead Germany

Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic player, led Germany with 23 points, while captain Dennis Schröder contributed 20 points and 7 assists. Germany will face Finland in the semifinals on Friday. Andreas Obst’s three-pointer was key to a 12-0 run that gave Germany the lead on the scoreboard in the final quarter. Dončić, who received a technical foul at the start of the game, scored 22 points in the first half. Despite accumulating his fourth foul in the third quarter, he continued scoring, although some caution was noted to avoid the fifth foul. Dončić, with five of 16 attempts from the three-point line, scored his fifth game in the tournament with at least 30 points. In addition, he contributed 10 rebounds and seven assists. Wagner had an excellent performance from the free throw line, with 13 of 14. Germany is looking for its second European Championship title, after winning it in 1993 as hosts. Slovenia seemed to be in control until Tristan Da Silva hit a three-pointer at the buzzer of the third quarter, reducing Slovenia’s lead to four points. The final will be played on Sunday in Riga, Latvia, the venue for all knockout matches.

Finland Advances to Semifinals

In another match, Finland defeated Georgia with a score of 93-79, securing their place in the semifinals for the first time. Mikael Jantunen led Finland with 19 points, while Lauri Markkanen, a player for the Utah Jazz, contributed 17 points and six rebounds.

It’s the same group for a long time. We are a very close group, like going back and playing with your friends. That’s the basketball culture in Finland.

Mikael Jantunen

Finland demonstrated its depth by scoring 44 points off the bench, compared to Georgia’s four. Georgia, led by Sandro Mamukelashvili with 22 points, played its first quarterfinal as an independent nation, after eliminating France and defeating Spain in the group stage. Finland dominated the start of the game with a strong three-point shooting, achieving an early lead of 30-15 in the second quarter. Miikka Muurinen, a promising 18-year-old player, scored 7 points off the bench.