Germany wins FIBA Basketball World Cup, Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis takes home gold medal

Theis had a solid tournament for the German squad

10 Daniel Theis (GER) - Germany v Serbia, 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Manila - Mall of Asia Arena (Philippines), Final, 10 September 2023 (Mandatory Photo Credit: FIBA)

Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis took home a gold medal in the FIBA Basketball World Cup by helping Germany win the title game on Sunday morning.

Theis and co took down Serbia, who had been playing excellent basketball in the knockout stage. Serbia beat Lithuania and Canada to reach the finals while Germany toppled Latvia and Team USA.

Germany got off to a solid start in the title game, and they were leading after five minutes. Theis had an impressive first bucket, shot faking between two defenders before nailing a floater. Serbia took the lead before the quarter ended, but the Germans remained in striking distance.

As the game progressed, Theis' role changed to being more of a cutter and screener. He was off the ball often, and he took fewer shots than he had in recent games. As a shorter center, he splits time between the four and the five.

At halftime, his team had tied the game up at 47. It was high-level basketball, and neither team could create separation.

That all changed in the third quarter. Germany looked great to open the second half, and they led by 11 at one point in the frame. Theis and co went on a 9-0 run from the 5:07 mark to the 1:30 mark, the most dominant stretch of the night from either team. They led by 12 entering the final period.

Slowly but surely, Serbia battled back. They cut the advantage all the way down to three with 1:21 to go, and they even had an open look from beyond the arc to tie the game inside the final minute. But Marko Guduric missed it, and Germany scored on the other end.

Despite the Serbian squad making one final push, Germany held on to win 83-77. Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schroder was excellent in the game, scoring 28 points and taking home the tournament MVP award.

Theis was forceful and strong for his team in the finals despite a quiet statistical night. He finished with two points, four rebounds, and two assists in the victory, and Germany outscored Serbia in his minutes.

"Weltmeister," Theis tweeted after the game with spaces in between each letter. That translates to "World Champion" in English.

For the tournament, the Pacers big man averaged 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He shot 59.4% from the field. Germany outscored their opponent with Theis on the court in six of his eight games.

Indiana will be happy to see that Theis played well and remained healthy. He finished third in EuroBasket last summer, but needed surgery early in the NBA season after a busy offseason. That shouldn't be the case this year, especially with almost a month remaining until NBA training camp begins.

Theis and Germany qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics with their play in the World Cup, so they will be back at it again next summer. After an impressive event, they will be one of the teams to watch in the competition.

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