By George Efkarpides/ info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Germany made it to the 2023 FIBA World Cup semifinals, led by the Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz. The Orlando Magic center had a perfect shooting match against Latvia, scoring 12 points with four rebounds for the second-highest Player Impact Rating (PIR) on the winning side of 19.
He had some ferocious dunks and celebrated every good move, showing how much it meant to him to help Germany reach the final stages of the World Championship.
“I’m always like that, a little crazy. It does mean a lot; you play for the semifinals of the World Cup, and of course, there are a lot of emotions,” Moritz Wagner said after the game.
Mo wants to enjoy the win first and doesn’t want to think about the clash with Team USA in the semifinals just yet.
“We just beat Latvia, Germany is in the semifinal of the World Cup; don’t ask me about the USA. I want to enjoy this, and I’m gonna think about the USA tomorrow.”
Germany is the only side with a perfect score coming to the World Cup semifinals with six straight victories.
“I’m excited, but it’s no pressure. It’s awesome for German basketball, and we are going to enjoy this.”
His brother Franz got injured in the opening match of the tournament but recovered in time to help Germany defeat Latvia, being the most efficient player on the winning side.
“As a teammate, I’m very excited he’s back because he’s so damn good and he wins us games, so that’s a little selfish of me. And as a brother, on the human side, I’m just happy to see him smile and do what he does best. He’s a beast out there, so it’s fun to see a brother play like that.”
Dennis Schroder had some shooting troubles, hitting just four shots out of 26 attempts, but Germany still prevailed.
“I think that’s part of very good teams. Dennis draws so much attention; he’s a beast; he’s been carrying us. I’m not worried about him,” Wagner concluded.
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Photo: fiba.basketball