Olympics-Basketball-Germany beat Greece to be first through to basketball semi-finals

By Steve Keating

PARIS (Reuters) -Germany overcame a sleepy start to ease past Greece 76-63 on Tuesday and become the first team through to the semi-finals of the Paris Olympic men's basketball tournament.

Franz Wagner led Germany with 18 points while Dennis Schroeder chipped in with 13 as the World Cup winners improved their record to 4-0 securing their spot in a first ever Olympic final four where they await either Canada or France.

"It means a lot (to be in semi-finals for the first time), I think everybody in the team knows that we have a special group," said Wagner. "That's motivation enough.

"I was seven, I think, when Dirk (Nowitzki) played in the Olympics and I think we've come a long way, and that's because of guys like him.

"(It is) All on us to keep that going forward."

Two-times NBA most valuable player Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game high 22 in a losing cause for Greece, who had just one win in group action and squeaked into the last eight as a best third place finisher.

In the first quarter-final of an action packed day at the Bercy Arena, Germany quickly fell behind 10-2 and trailed for much of the opening half.

But a Schroeder three-pointer coming out of the break brought the Germans and the crowd to life as they seized control taking a 59-52 advantage into the final quarter when they then clinically finished off their opponent.

After group play in Lille, the basketball tournament has moved to Paris for the knockout round with four quarter-finals highlighted by a showdown between medal contenders France and Canada followed by the LeBron James-led U.S. taking on Brazil.

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Paris. Additional reporting Vincent Daheron. Editing by Christian Radnedge)