Spain takes down Germany to reach EuroBasket final
For the first 34+ minutes of their EuroBasket semifinal, the host team Germany went basket for basket with perennial EuroBasket power Spain. But in the end, there was simply too much Hernangomez for them to deal with. Brothers Willy and Juancho Hernangomez combined for 29 points to overcome Dennis Schroder's 30 points and 8 assists as Spain advanced to play France in the final with a 96-91 win.
Schroder averaged 19.1 points and 7.3 assists for the tournament, as Germany made their first EuroBasket Final Four since 2005 when tournament MVP Dirk Nowitzki led them to the silver medal. Schroder's play was so impressive that after the game, the Los Angeles Lakers announced he was returning on a one-year contract.
It was a former NBA player who lit it up for Spain today, however. Former UNC star Lorenzo Brown scored 29 points on 11/17 shooting to pace the Spanish team - and he's only been a Spanish citizen for a few months. After their usual point guard, Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and Sergio Rodriguez retired from international play, Spain convinced Brown to renounce his US citizenship and play for La Roja at EuroBasket. That gamble is paying off, as Brown and his new countrymen are 40 minutes away from a gold medal.
After Schroder drove for a layup to make it 77-70 with 7:44 to go, it looked like Germany's Cinderella run might continue. But those would be the last points Schroder would score in the game, as Spain's Alberto Diaz put the clamps on him down the stretch. And Brown kept scoring, including this daga three with Spain clinging to a three-point lead.
Germany's Franz Wagner (of the Orlando Magic) had 15 points for the hosts, but his outside shot was off, going only 1-6 from long-range. And Houston's Usman Garuba had seven assists in his 18 minutes but added four clutch free throws to ice the game for Spain.
Sunday Spain seeks its fourth-ever EuroBasket gold medal, all of which have come recently - 2009, 2011, and 2015 - and first without a single Gasol brother on their roster. The Hernangomez brothers may not be at the level of Pau and Marc Gasol, but they're playing at their championship level this month.
More must-reads: