GERMANY played spoiler to Japan's 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup debut, dealing the co-host a 81-63 loss at the Okinawa Arena on Friday.
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Orlando Magic big man Moritz Wagner dropped a game-high 25 points to orchestrate a lopsided victory for Die Mannschaft.
Germany showed no mercy from the opening tip and went ahead by as much as 24 points to rip Japan's dream of a win in Okinawa into pieces.
In front of a 6,000-strong home crowd, the Japanese side never got a taste of the lead.
Behind Wagner's offensive exploits were breakthrough outings from NBA aces Dennis Schroder (14 points), Daniel Theis (13 points), and Moritz' younger brother Franz (10 points).
Meanwhile, Yuta Watanabe had a 20-point output in a sorry loss for the Akatsuki Faibu.
Next up on Sunday will be Germany against Australia and Japan versus Finland as Group E action continues in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The scores:
Germany (81) - M. Wagner 25, Schroder 14, Theis 13, F. Wagner 10, Voigtmann 6, Obst 6, Bonga 4, Thiemann 3, Lo 0, Giffey 0, Hollatz 0, Kramer 0.
Japan (63) - Watanabe 20, Baba 15, Hawkinson 9, Kawamura 7, Tominaga 5, Yoshii 3, Hiejima 2, Togashi 0, Hara 0, Inoue 0, Kawamata 0.
Quarterscores: 23-11; 53-31; 69-47; 81-63.
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