Germany, led by Magic's Franz Wagner, Survives Greece Upset Scare to Advance to Olympic Semifinal

Led by Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner's 18 points, Germany fought back from an early 12-point deficit to down Greece and advance to the semifinals of the Olympic basketball tournament for the first time in the country's history.

Mason Williams | Aug 6, 2024

Franz Wagner goes up at the rim against Giannis Antetokounmpo in Olympic quarterfinal play on Tuesday. / FIBA

In this story:

Orlando Magic

While most of America was fast asleep in the wee hours of the morning, the Orlando Magic's duo of German brothers and teammates – Franz and Moritz Wagner – were active in Olympic basketball quarterfinal action.

Despite an early threat to pull the steep upset from Greece, Germany dispatched a slow start to take control of the contest in the second half and emerge victorious, 76-63.

Franz, the Magic's 8th-overall selection in the 2021 NBA draft, led Germany with 18 points on 8-17 shooting. Mo turned in an impressive performance himself, scoring eight points, grabbing five rebounds and taking on the Giannis Antetokounmpo assignment defensively.

For a full box score of the game, click here.

The win nets history for the Germans. Winners of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Germany advanced to the country's first-ever semifinal in men's Olympic basketball. They await the winner of Tuesday afternoon's France-Canada matchup, where a trip to the gold medal game will be on the line Thursday.

Any medal earned by Germany would be the country's first in this event.

Here's how it all happened in the opening quarterfinal contest from Bercy Arena in Paris:

Greece pounces on Germany's sluggish start

Coming into Tuesday morning's affair, the Germans proudly boasted the Olympics' third-best scoring offense – scoring 89.3 points a game over the three group phase games that helped them qualify for the knockout round.

A different story unfolded through the game's first ten minutes, however – a segment the Greeks dominated in all facets. Germany succumbed to Greece's intense defensive pressure, struggling with turnovers and overall offensive flow on that end of the floor.

Averaging just 10 turnovers as a team per game heading into the contest on top of the already noted scoring prowess, Greece couldn't have dreamt up a better start than forcing the Germans into four turnovers and a 5-18 (1-8 from three) display of shooting from the field.

Predictably, the Greece offense went largely as Giannis Antetokounmo went – scoring six early points at the rim and helping to make the right decision as the Greek engine with the ball in his hands.

As a result, Greece led after a quarter and had an upset on its mind – the scoreboard reading 21-11.

Germany finds its footing, evens score at the break

The single-elimination nature of the knockout round emphasized the need for a quick break out of its early slump, and that's what Germany found in the second quarter. The Germans were a perfect 8-8 from inside the paint and 11-15 overall from the field in the second 10 minutes, scoring 26 points to bring the score to a deadlock at the halftime break.

Although Germany still periodically struggled with turnovers, more possessions ended with a make than a miss. The German scoring contingent was spread evenly, with the Wagner brothers' six points apiece leading the way for the reigning World Cup champions. The difference, though, came in the efficiency department.

On the heels of his best game in the Olympic tournament last time out, Franz struggled in the first half of the follow-up act – shooting 3-8 from the field and 0-2 from three. That follows the trend of Franz's only true struggle throughout these Games to this point, coming into the quarterfinal clash at just 21% from three throughout the tournament.

His brother and teammate Mo, however, shot 3-3 from the field, owning six of the 18 bench points for Germany.

As a whole, Germany's presence on the offensive glass kept them in the game, countering the success the Greeks had with turning their opposition over.

Still, after trailing for just 4:28 through the first three games of the Olympics, the Germans never led and essentially trailed the entire first half of the win-or-go-home game and offered the Greeks the mindset that victory was a plausible outcome.

Franz Wagner drives to the basket versus Greece in Olympic quarterfinal play on Tuesday. / FIBA

Germany outlasts tough-hanging Greeks in second-half grinder

Although Germany didn't wait long after the prolonged break to capture its first lead of the contest, it still didn't deter Greece in its efforts to pull the shocker of the Olympic tournament. The pace of the game slowed, and baskets had the heightened feel that they had to be earned.

Thus, when Franz eventually drilled his first and only make from three in the contest (six attempts) – a stepback three a few feet behind the line with a hand in his face – a big show of emotion came with it. The bucket capped an 8-0 run to put Germany back on top midway through the third quarter, 50-47., and was indicative of a game that looked to have finally turned in their favor.

Defensively, Germany essentially threw everything it had at Antetokounmpo, hoping to make anyone else beat them. As more white jerseys flooded toward No. 34 when the Greeks had the ball, Greece struggled to find contributions elsewhere offensively despite Germany's hesitancy to fully close out the contest.

The ratcheted-up defensive pressure from Germany forced 11 turnovers in the second half alone, and all Greek players besides Antetokounmpo shot a combined 5-15 from the field. Greece scored just 27 points in the game's second half, unable to overcome a floundering half-court offense that didn't have the longevity to hang with Germany's shotmaking.

Shaking off the poor start percentage-wise, Franz was the catalyst of the German's advancement through to the semifinals of the Olympics – the first time in the country's history at the Games.

Greece pounces on Germany's sluggish start

Germany finds its footing, evens score at the break

Germany outlasts tough-hanging Greeks in second-half grinder

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic