Team Germany guard Dennis Schroder joined some elite company during Germany's 85-82 win over Australia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Schroder dropped 30 points in the upset win for Germany, joining Dirk Nowitzki as the only two players in Germany's history to score at least 30 points during the FIBA World Cup.
With Dirk Nowitzki present for the game, Schroder put on a show in front of his former NBA teammate. Schroder carried the German squad to victory with 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting, 8 assists and 4 steals in a monster performance.
Schroder explained what it meant to pull off the upset over the Boomers in front of Nowitzki, via BasketNews.com.
“Dirk is the best four man who ever played the game, changed the game of basketball,” said Schroder. “He’s a Hall of Famer in the league, got a championship. Of course it’s a good thing but at the end of the day, we got a W as a team and that’s most important for us, for me.”
Dennis Schroder, 29, signed a two-year deal worth $25 million to join the Toronto Raptors this offseason. Schroder spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 12.6 points per game in 66 games. Schroder eclipsed the 30-point mark just once last year with the Lakers in a January 4th win over the Miami Heat.
Behind Dennis Schroder's big scoring output, this was Germany’s first-ever victory men's international victory over Australia, who had won six straight against Team Germany leading up to this matchup.
Germany's second win during the pool play stage at the 2023 FIBA World Cup is enough to get them through to the next round of competition. Germany defeated Japan in the first game of the World Cup, 81-63.
Germany's last pool play game will be against Finland on August 29th before the second round begins.