THE results of Friday night’s 2023 FIBA World Cup semi-finals were not exactly easy to predict, as the two tournament favourites saw their respective campaigns ended in remarkable fashion.

Coming into the penultimate matchups of the fixture, Team USA and Canada were both expected to advance to the last game, setting up a final encounter that would see plenty of NBA talent on show. However, the teams fell to Germany and Serbia respectively, with an all-European final confirmed.

Kicking things off for the night, Serbia got off to a hot start against the Canadians, storming out of the gates to take an early lead. Although Canada’s offence was chugging along nicely thanks to some aggressive drives to the hoop, it simply could not get the defensive stops required to stop the opposition. Serbia led by 13 points at the main break, fully in control of the game thanks to its ability to consistently produce offence.

Canada lifted in the second half as expected, particularly on the offensive end, but the same problem remained as it could not stop the scoring power of Serbia. Every bucket was seemingly answered, and although the Canadians were within striking distance in the fourth quarter, they could not finish the comeback, with Serbia eventually claiming a nine-point win.

For the victors, Bogdan Bogdanovic was the star of the show as he has been all tournament, finishing with 23 points on 8/12 shooting from the field and 3/4 shooting from behind the arc in another damaging performance. For Canada, RJ Barrett tried wilfully to get his side going offensively with 23 points of his own, but the rest of the team could not find the same amount of good looks.

The second match of the night saw Team USA stunned by Germany, with the latter claiming a thrilling two-point win in a remarkable boilover.

Although Germany had come into the game in red-hot form having topped both groups it played in, the United States were the competition favourites, boasting the most impressive roster in the tournament.

It was a high-scoring first term, with both sides reaching the 30-point mark in the first 10 minutes of play. Although Team USA had shown the ability to do this on a consistent basis, Germany was certainly up for the challenge, picking holes in the opposition defence to lead by two at the first break. Both teams continued their strong work on the offensive end, but the United States were able to nab a slight advantage on this front, leading by a solitary point at half time.

The third quarter proved to be decisive in the context of the match, with Germany coming out of the main break with pace and tempo when moving the ball up the court. It resulted in a 10-point buffer heading into the final change and left plenty of work for the US to do in the last 10 minutes. To no one’s surprise, Team USA got going in the fourth, and tied things up in the dying minutes of the game thanks to some strong work from Anthony Edwards. However, a smooth step-back jumper from Dennis Schroder put Germany ahead by two with 40 seconds to play, and the United States could not answer, stunned with a 113-111 defeat.

For Germany, Andreas Obst (24 points, 4/8 3PT), Franz Wagner (22 points) and Daniel Theis (21 points, 10/15 FG) all played crucial roles in getting the team over the line, while Schroder stood up in the biggest moment of all. For Team USA, Edwards was immense with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Austin Reaves poured in 21 points of his own on 7/10 shooting.

Germany and Serbia will face off for gold on Sunday night at 10:40pm AEST, while Team USA and Canada will go head to head in the bronze medal match at 6:30pm AEST on the same night.