LILLE (France) - One of Germany's most telling traits over the past three years of success has been their finely-tuned scoring machine. The motor was sputtering against Brazil though on Gameday 2 of the Paris Olympics, and captain Dennis Schroder stepped up when his team needed him most and got the engine back in line.
Schroder poured in a team-high 20 points with 4 three-pointers while also picking up 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in Germany's hard-fought 83-76 victory over Brazil to send the world champions into the Paris 2024 Quarter-Finals.
"It's always a team effort. We did a good job coming out the second half and just being aggressive on the defensive end. They did a great job in the second quarter with 30 points. We talked about it with coach that we need to get stops on the defensive end and then run and play fast," said Schroder.
It was a very different game for Germany and Schroder than what they have looked like recently. Gordie Herbert's team scored at least 88 points in their final three preparations games and then rolled past Japan 97-77 in their Group B opener. Schroder tallied 13 points and 12 assists against the Asians as the team dished out 24 assists.
After a strong start against Brazil - leading 22-10 after 10 minutes and by 14 points in the early stages of the second quarter - things stalled for Germany, who lost the lead entirely and went back and forth in the third stanza.
At one point, Germany had 10 assists and 10 turnovers - just three days after committing only 5 turnovers in the entire game against Japan.
Schroder had seen enough.
He scored two baskets - including a big three-pointer - that got Germany back on track. The team captain also took it upon himself to chase Brazilian shooter Vitor Benite around screen after screen on defense.
"Sometimes I like to chase people off the screen. I had to cut him off a little bit. He still hit some threes," Schroder said of his defense on Benite.
Schroder was especially fired up on one possession, defending tightly on Benite and causing a shot clock violation
That leadership mentally - Schroder's layup made it 60-51 after three quarters - eventually got the world champions back on track and they cruised to the win.
"He's unbelievable," said Franz Wagner, who scored 17 points in the win. "We have seen that now in the last couple of summers. He's just a great competitor and wants to do everything to win."
Germany will use this as an important lesson, and it will give them comfort that their captain Dennis Schroder is always there if the team needs him.
FIBA