On July 27, Beijing time, the Paris Olympic men's basketball group stage began, and in a match in Group B, Germany men's basketball defeated Japan men's basketball 97-77. Wagner Jr. had 22 points, Schroder had 13 points and 12 assists, Hachimura had 20 points and 10 rebounds, but shot only 4-of-19 from the field and Yuta Watanabe had 16 points. Germany led by eight points at the end of the first half and continued to widen the gap in the second half to win comfortably over Japan.
Bilateral data
Germany: Wagner Jr. 22 points and 6 rebounds, Schroder 13 points and 12 assists, Wagner Jr. 15 points and 5 rebounds, Theis 18 points and 7 rebounds, Banga 11 points and 6 rebounds
Japan: Hachimura 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists, Yuta Watanabe 16 points and 4 three-pointers, Hawkinson 13 points and 11 rebounds, Yuki Kawamura 11 points and 7 assists, Yoshii Yutaka 10 points and 6 rebounds
The star of the game
Wagner Jr. and Schröder performed well, leading Germany to defeat Japan.
Game recap
In the first quarter, Schroeder and Wagner Jr. hit shots to give Germany a 4-0 start. Hachimura hit a jumper, Theis scored a layup, and Yuta Watanabe, Vogtman, and Yuki Kawamura hit three points in a row. Schroeder hit a mid-range shot, Wagner Jr. sent a dunk, and Theis scored in the air to give Germany an eight-point lead. Yoshii hit a three-pointer, Yuta Watanabe scored five points in a row, and Timan responded with a three-pointer. Yuki Tomiyaki hit a three-point shot, and Big Wagner scored five points in a row. At the end of the first quarter, Germany led Japan 28-21.
In the second quarter, Yuta Watanabe scored a layup, Hawkinson hit a hook shot, Bonga scored 5 points in a row, and Hachimura responded with a violent dunk. Big Wagner scored on a layup, Yuki Tomiyasu scored on a throw, Banga and Wagner Jr. hit three-pointers, and Germany stretched the gap to 16 points. Yuta Watanabe hit a three-pointer, Hawkinson scored back-to-back inside, and Japan went on a 9-0 run to trail by seven points. Wagner Jr. scored on a basket and Obst hit a three-pointer to give Germany a 52-44 lead over Japan at halftime.
Yibian fought again, Schroeder broke through and scored, Yuta Watanabe hit three points again, and Wagner Jr. scored on the board. Theis and Schroder hit three-pointers, and Hachimura scored 10 points in a row. Wagner Jr. hit a layup and scored back-to-back free throws to give Germany a 13-point lead. Hawkins scored on a layup and Weiler-Babu hit a mid-range shot. At the end of the third quarter, Germany led Japan 74-61.
In the final quarter, Big Wagner scored a rebound, Yuki Kawamura hit a long-range three-pointer, and Timan and Weiler-Babu scored consecutive points. Yoshii scored five straight points, Wagner Jr. scored a layup, Theis scored a dunk, and Germany already led by 20 points. Yuki Kawamura hit a three-pointer, and Wagner Jr. also responded with a three-pointer. In the end, Germany defeated Japan.
Both sides start
Germany: Schröder, Wagner Jr., Vogtmann, Obst, Theis
Team Japan: Yuki Kawamura, Yutaka Yoshii, Lei Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe, Hawkinson