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    FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: Schroder-led Germany edges Poland in OT thriller; Wembanyama, Saric & Strautins show out

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    dennis schroder
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    Teams from Groups K and L played the second round games of the Second phase of the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers on Sunday, with six games played across the two groups.

    In Group K, Croatia secured a crucial win over Netherlands, while Germany beat Poland after overtime thriller. Latvia then closed out the group’s action with a comfortable victory over Israel.

    Group L also saw three games played, as Finland dominated Estonia, while France secured a victory against Sweden with more difficulty than expected, while Slovenia won against Hungary without Luka Doncic’s help.

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    DERBY OF THE DAY: Germany edges out Poland in an overtime thriller

    Germany beat Poland away with a score of 96-94 in the derby of the day, moving one step closer to qualifying for the FIBA World Cup.

    Poland entered this match as the one of two undefeated teams in the qualifications so far, and came close to keeping that streak alive after the game in Gdansk.

    Germany started much better, reaching a double-digit lead after the first 10 minutes of play, and maintained that advantage until the fourth quarter, when Igor Milicic’s team mounted a comeback. Andrzej Pluta and Igor Milicic Jr. brought the hosts back to life, while Dennis Schroder kept the visitors ahead. However, the game went into overtime, where Alex Mumbru’s team started strong once again and built a solid lead before Poland tied the game 38 seconds before the end. Ultimately, Schroder secured the win for Germany from the free-throw line.

    Schroder led the winning team with 18 points, while Johannes Thiemann added 14 points along with 12 rebounds, and Maodo Lo contributed 13 points. For the losing side, Mateusz Ponitka was the most efficient player with 20 points, Milicic Jr. added 18, and Jordan Loyd had 16 points.

    At the post-match press conference, Poland forward Igor Milicic Jr. said that Germany deserved to win, but his father, Poland head coach Igor Milicic, disagreed with that statement.

    “I disagree with that statement. They didn’t outplay us. They won the game, but we deserved to win more”, Poland head coach said.

    Poland and Germany are now tied, along with Croatia, at a 7-1 record in the FIBA World Cup qualifications so far, putting all three teams in a great position to qualify for the tournament in Qatar.

    MVP PERFORMANCE: Arturs Strautins keeps Latvia’s hopes alive 

    Arturs Strautins has played several very good games in the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers so far, but against Israel, he delivered by far his best performance and helped his national team stay somewhat alive in the race for the three spots that lead to the tournament in Qatar next year.

    Latvia suffered a tough loss against Croatia in the previous round, making a win an absolute necessity, and in the end, they managed to defeat Israel 85-70.

    After a balanced first half, the Latvians used a run in the second half of the third quarter to build a solid lead, which they expanded further in the final ten minutes to secure a fairly comfortable victory.

    The man most responsible for the win was Arturs Strautins, who scored 29 points, hitting six three-pointers out of nine attempts, while adding four rebounds (two offensive), as well as one assist and one steal.

    He received good support from Rihards Lomazs, who scored 18 points, and Kristers Zoriks, who finished the game with 16 points. On the other side, Yam Madar was the most efficient player with 15 points.

    IMPORTANT WINS: Redemption for Finland and Slovenia

    After a slip-up against Sweden at home in the previous round, Finland redeemed themselves with a convincing 96-67 road victory over Estonia.

    Finland started this game somewhat slowly as well, which resulted in them trailing for most of the first half. However, they managed to turn things around with a 12-1 run in the final four minutes of the second quarter, even though Lauri Markkanen was struggling during those moments.

    That was just a prelude to what would happen in the second half – a total dominance by a team fully aware that only a victory serves their cause in the pursuit of the FIBA World Cup.

    Lassi Tuovi’s squad left no doubt that they would secure a major, crucial win in a very intriguing Group L race, where no team other than France can be certain of its final standing.

    Markkanen, who played much better in the second half, was the top performer with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Barcelona’s new forward Olivier Nkamhoua added 18 points, matching guard Edon Maxhuni’s tally. For Estonia, Kristian Kullamae stood out in the defeat with 15 points.

    Just like Finland, Slovenia managed to get back on the winning track after dropping three consecutive games in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

    Slovenia couldn’t count on Luka Doncic and Jaxson Hayes, but Aleksander Sekulic’s squad finally reminded fans of their peak performances on their home court and won against Hungary 92-77.

    The victory was all the more critical as all five national teams – aside from the aforementioned France – are battling for a top-three finish to secure a spot at the 2027 tournament in Qatar.

    Klemen Prepelic finished with 24 points and 9 assists, Aleksej Nikolic added 18 points, while Alen Omic recorded a double-double, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. On the losing side. Nate Reuvers and Zoltan Perl scored 19 points each.

    OTHER MATCHES: Stars lead Croatia and France one step closer to FIBA World Cup berth

    France struggled, but ultimately managed to pull away in the second half against Sweden to claim an 84-69 victory.

    France arrived without Nadir Hifi, Yves Pons, and Axel Bouteille, but their main stars were present and managed to secure the win on the shoulders of Victor Wembanyama, Maxime Raynaud, and Matthew Strazel.

    Sweden led after the first ten minutes, while the two teams were completely tied at halftime (38-38). Even after the third quarter, not much separated them, but Wembanyama and company demonstrated the quality gap in the final ten minutes to reach their seventh victory in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

    Wembanyama was the most efficient player with 18 points, while Strazel and Raynaud added 13 points each for France. Pelle Larsson led Sweden with 23 points, while Ludde Hakanson added 16.

    Croatia narrowly defeated the Netherlands 101-99 to move within a step of qualifying for the FIBA World Cup, improving their record to 7-1 alongside Poland and Germany.

    Dario Saric was most responsible for Croatia’s victory, scoring 11 of his team’s last 17 points, even as the Netherlands put up a fantastic fight. Alongside Saric, Ivica Zubac dominated under the rims.

    Zubac finished the game with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Saric added 24 points, three rebounds, and six assists. Keye van der Vuurst de Vries led the Netherlands with 23 points.

    STANDINGS

    In Group K, Germany jumped to the top of the group with a 7-1 record following their victory against Poland. Croatia and Poland hold the exact same record so far in the qualifiers (7-1).

    Latvia sits in fourth place in the group with a 4-4 record, while the Netherlands and Israel are tied at the bottom with a 2-6 record, leaving them with no mathematical chance of advancing to the next phase.

    Group K:

    1. Germany 7-1
    2. Croatia 7-1
    3. Poland 7-1
    4. Latvia 4-4
    5. Netherlands 2-6
    6. Israel 2-6
    Standings provided by Sofascore

    In Group L, France is the only team with a secured outlook so far, sitting in first place with a 7-1 record and on the verge of mathematically locking up a spot at the FIBA World Cup. However, behind them, each of the remaining five national teams still has a chance.

    Finland holds second place with a 5-3 record, followed by Sweden, Slovenia, and Hungary all tied at 4-4, while Estonia sits at the bottom of the group at 3-5.

    Group L:

    1. France 7-1
    2. Finland 5-3
    3. Slovenia 4-4
    4. Sweden 4-4
    5. Hungary 4-4
    6. Estonia 3-5
    Standings provided by Sofascore

    Three of the five sportsbooks I checked for Germany returned exactly the same margin, because they all run on one shared feed. I name which three in my guide to the best betting sites in Germany.

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    Basketball Sphere Editor and Writer.

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