The bronze medal match could sometimes be a somber affair, as both the teams just failed in their quest for gold. However, the match also gives them a shot at redemption. A chance to clinch a rare medal at the Olympics.
And tomorrow, the German men’s national basketball team and the Serbian men’s national basketball team will get a chance to end their campaign on a positive note. Both Germany and Serbia performed valiantly in the semifinals, losing by just four points. However, they just couldn’t cross the final hurdle. Now, they face each other in a highly intriguing bronze medal match. So, which nation will cap off their Olympic campaign with a medal?
Knockout games can sometimes be very unfair. Going into the semifinals, Germany were one of the best teams at the tournament. In fact, they didn’t lose a game until the semis. The Germans topped their group, with a points difference of +47. Furthermore, they have already defeated France in the group stage by a scoreline of 85-71. In the quarters, the Germans breezed past Greece, scoring 76 points in the process and conceding just 63 points. However, a motivated France side proved to be slightly better in the semis, winning the game by a scoreline of 73-69.
On the other hand, Serbia’s journey to the semifinals wasn’t as straightforward as Germany’s. The Serbs lost their first game of the Olympics campaign to Team USA by a scoreline of 110-84. But Serbia bounced back quickly from that embarrassing defeat, winning their other two group stage games against the likes of Puerto Rico and South Sudan.
As a result, they faced Australia in the quarters. In quarterfinals, Serbia needed a superhuman Nikola Jokic performance and overtime to beat Australia. Jokic finished that game with 21 points, 14 boards, 9 assists and 4 steals. However, Serbia ran into a stacked Team USA roster widely regarded as one of the greatest squads ever assembled. Despite Jokic’s best efforts, Serbia lost the game by a scoreline of 95-91.
Serbia have lost two games at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but both losses have been against the USA. Therefore, this would give the Serbs belief that they can defeat any other team. However, Germany would look to prove that assumption wrong and clinch their first ever Olympics medal in men’s basketball.
Germany and Serbia have faced each other on six different occasions in major international tournaments. Out of those six meetings, the Germans currently hold the advantage, as they have won on four different occasions. Serbia have only managed to overcome Germany twice in competitive settings. With their head-to-head advantage over Serbia, the Germans will be looking to bag a bronze medal on 10th August. But underestimating Serbia based on head-to-head stats would be foolish.
The game is scheduled to take place on 10th August 2024 (Thursday). The match will tip off at 2:30 AM (Indian Standard Time).
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