Magic's Franz Wagner, Germany Cruise to EuroBasket Knockout Round; Who Will They Play?

Germany now moves on to the knockout stage.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 7, 2022

Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner is excited and well-rested after Germany won its final pool play game against Hungary Wednesday afternoon.

Wagner played just under 12 minutes, but scored 15 points in the team's 106-71 victory over the Hungarians. For Germany, this game had very little meaning considering the team already qualified for the knockout round after winning its first three games.

Despite a loss to Luka Doncic and Slovenia yesterday, Germany finished out strong with a win today, accruing a 4-1 record in pool play. Germany ended the group in second place with nine points, falling just behind Slovenia in a tiebreaker.

With Germany's second place finish in Group B, the team will face the third-place team from Group A, Montenegro.

Montenegro qualified for the knockout phase after defeating Georgia 81-73 earlier today. Montenegro went 3-2, defeating Georgia, Belgium and Bulgaria, while falling to Group A winner Spain and runner-up Turkey.

The only NBA player on Montenegro's roster is Marko Simonovic, a 2020 draft pick who played nine games for the Chicago Bulls last season. The team also boasts American point guard Kendrick Perry, who holds Montenegrin citizenship. He went to college at Youngstown State and grew up in Ocoee, a suburb just 20 minutes outside Orlando. He also played for the Magic in the 2014 Summer League.

Wagner and Germany will be favored and could make a deep run in the knockout phase, but the remaining games in the tournament won't be like today's.

Germany and Montenegro play Saturday in Berlin.

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Published Sep 7, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.