Basketball Olympics, bronze medal game, Saturday, 10.08.2024, 11:00 am
As the reigning world champions and with a run of 13 wins in a row at major tournaments, the German national basketball team went into Thursday’s Olympic semi-final against hosts France as clear favorites.
In addition, the DBB team had already put “Les Bleus” in their place in the group stage with a clear 85:71 victory. However, the team of national coach Gordon Herbert had a bad day and missed out on the dream final against the USA with a 69:73 defeat.
The bronze medal game on Saturday at 11 a.m. will therefore be a rematch of last year’s World Cup final against Serbia. The betting odds see NBA superstar Nikola Jokic and Co. slightly ahead.
My Germany Serbia betting tip in the Bet365 app at odds of 1.71 should make it clear to you why I’m playing the “Serbia win” tip
Last year, Germany won the World Cup final against the Serbs. In addition, the DBB team is ranked third in the world rankings, one place above the KSS squad.
Germany’s record against Serbia over the last 14 years is also impressive, with five wins and four defeats. Nevertheless, coach Herbert’s men are the slight underdogs in the bronze medal match
In the Germany-Serbia prediction, there are odds of between 1.75 and 1.83 for a victory for the men from the Balkans. On the other hand, you get odds of 2.07 on average for a success for the world champions.
In the semi-finals of the 2024 Olympics, of all places, the German national basketball team put in its worst performance in two years. In the end, the reigning world champions fell short of their level in too many areas.
The DBB team was too static and conceded 15 turnovers. The German offense also never really found its rhythm and only managed a 40% shooting percentage from the field.
After a good start, it was only enough for 57 points in the final 37 minutes. In the end, 69 points were simply not enough to reach the final.
France repeatedly focused on Dennis Schröder. The captain was unable to exert his usual influence on the game and finished with 18 points from 18 shots
This time, players from the bench such as Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Johannes Thiemann were also unable to step into the breach. In addition, Franz Wagner also only managed ten points (4/10 FG) and eight rebounds.
The defense, which had previously been Germany’s great strength, had major problems with France’s physically strong big men, especially under the basket.
German coach Gordon Herbert did not remain flawless either. In the group stage, the German team usually had a two-day break between games.
In the knockout round, they had to make do with one day off. Nevertheless, the coach continued to rely “only” on his top 9 players. Nevertheless, the team still has the opportunity to complete its three-year plan with a bronze medal
Last year, Serbia reached the World Championship final without Nikola Jokic (Denver), but lost 77:83 to Germany. Former national coach Svetislav Pesic was now able to call on his superstar again at the Olympics.
Another important player, Vasa Micic (Hornets), was also back on board. Expectations at home were correspondingly high. Two silver medals (1996 and 2016) were the best results at the Olympics to date.
Serbia are also two-time world champions (1998, 2002) and three-time European champions (1995, 1997, 2001). In the preliminary round, the Serbs only suffered one defeat against the USA.
In the quarter-final against Australia, however, Jokic and Co. had major problems with their opponents’ high tempo and trailed by 24 points at one point.
However, the KSS team reached overtime and prevailed 95:90. Coach Pesic’s men therefore had to face the USA again in the semi-finals.
They had lost this encounter by 26 points in both the preparation and group stages. This time, however, the world championship runners-up showed no respect for the NBA stars.
The team from the Balkans managed to pull 17 points ahead at one stage and even led by 13 points at the start of the final quarter. In the end, however, the favorites with the class of players like Curry and Embiid prevailed.
In the end, Serbia suffered a narrow and somewhat unfortunate 91:95 defeat. Now the team wants to win its third medal at its fifth Olympic Games
Conclusion: The German national basketball team has undergone a sensational development since the 2022 European Championships and has won numerous new fans at home.
Now the DBB team wants to complete its three-year plan with a bronze medal in the last game under national coach Herbert. But in my view, there are justifiably big doubts about the success of this plan.
At times in the quarter-final against France, the team looked tired and lacked its usual energy. With the first defeat after 13 victories at major tournaments, the momentum is also gone for the time being.
Serbia, on the other hand, still have a score to settle with Germany from the last World Cup final. The Serbs also scored 91 points against the USA and had the big favorites on the brink of defeat.
The German basketball team, on the other hand, only scored 69 points against France. I fear that the reigning world champions will not be able to cope with the disappointment of missing out on the final as easily as Serbia, who are also nominally better.
That’s why my Germany Serbia betting tip is: Victory Serbia
