3 reasons why Germany lost to France in semifinal of 2024 Paris Olympics basketball
France vs Germany was a thrilling game that ended with the host team taking revenge for their group phase duel and eliminating Germany from the race for the Olympic gold medal.
The Germans entered the game as favorites amid an unbeaten run that included a dominant performance over two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in the prior round.
France had different plans for this game, and they prevailed, winning 73-69 in dramatic fashion to advance to the final game of the competition for the second consecutive Olympics. There was a lot to study about this duel, and now it's time to break down the three major reasons France won this game.
3 reasons why Germany couldn't beat France in the Paris Olympic basketball tournament
#1. Poor interior defense
Even though basketball has evolved to a 3-point-driven sport, the paint remains a crucial factor in winning matchups and France reminded everybody about it today.
The French were more aggressive at the paint, scoring 40 points, 12 more than Germany. Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort were in attacking mode today against Daniel Theis, Johannes Voigtmann and Johannes Thiemann.
#2. Franz Wagner's underwhelming performance
Despite Dennis Schroder's good performance, he didn't have the support necessary to beat France, especially from the team's biggest star, Franz Wagner.
The Orlando Magic star played 29:39 points in the game but disappeared after scoring seven points in the first quarter. Wagner only added three points in the game's final seconds to finish the night with 10 units. He shot 40.0% from the field and 33.3% from deep, struggling to get things going in an elimination game again.
#3. Turnovers
It's not a secret that to win games, you have to protect the ball. Germany couldn't do that today, turning the ball over 15 times, only two more than France. However, the French capitalized on those mistakes, scoring 20 points off turnovers, while Germany only scored nine points off France's turnovers.
Once again, Franz Wagner played a role in this result with turnovers. He only committed one during the game, but it was his team's potential chance to tie the game at 70 and have a bigger chance to win the game. After taking the rebound that Victor Wembanyama couldn't catch, Wagner stumbled and the ball went out of bounds, seemingly putting the nail in the coffin for the Germans.