Georgia beat Venezuela 70:59 to qualify for the second round where they will meet Germany. Serbia and USA cruised into the opening round with three wins from three games.
Germany’s opponent in the intermediate round: Georgia.
AFP via Getty Images
Georgia takes on Germany in the intermediate round of the Basketball World Cup in Asia. With a clear 70:59 (42:23) against Venezuela on Wednesday, the team won its second victory in the preliminary round and can no longer move from one of the first two places. Tornike Shengelia of Virtus Bologna was the top pitcher with 25 points. Whether Germany face the Georgians on Friday or Sunday will only be decided when former European champions Slovenia play Cape Verde (1.30pm).
Slovenia must lose to the underdogs by 24 points or more to be eliminated. If star player Luka Doncic’s side are expected to win, the Slovenians, like Germany, will advance to the second round with three wins. Meanwhile, Germany will face Georgia on Friday and Slovenia on Sunday at the end of the main round. Only the top two teams qualify for the finals in Manila.
America is sovereign, Serbia wins again
Meanwhile, the Americans continued their sovereignty drive against Jordan. In the last game of the preliminary round, the USA team already led by 19 points after the first quarter and extended the lead to 48 points at the end to win 110:62 (62:33). Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves was the top scorer in the third win with 22 points (8/16 from the field) in three games.
The trip for the Americans continues on Friday against Montenegro. The second match of the intermediate round will be played on Sunday, and the opponent will be Lithuania.
Led by NBA pros Nikola Jovic (25 points, Miami Heat) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (23 points, Atlanta Hawks), Serbia also finished the preliminary round with its third win in three games. It was a clear 115:83 (56:39) against South Sudan. Jovic didn’t miss nine attempts from the field (5/5 threes). The Serbians meet Italy (Friday) and the Dominican Republic (Sunday) in the second round.
In the fourth game of the morning, Brazil qualified for the intermediate round thanks to a strong performance by Yaco Santos (24 points, 12 assists). Against Ivory Coast it was 89:77 (50:46). The Brazilians face Canada on Friday and Latvia on Sunday.
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