Saric leads the charge as Croatia slam the door late vs Germany

Croatia edged Germany 93-88 in Group E of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers: top scorers Dario Saric 23 and David Kramer 22, with Mario Hezonja 21 adding support. The game featured 17 lead changes, Germany led for nearly 18 minutes, but Croatia’s execution in the biggest possessions proved decisive.

The turning point came late in the fourth: with 5:22 left, Jack Kayil hit a three to put Germany ahead 84-83, but Croatia answered immediately. Jaleen Smith and Hezonja fueled an 8-0 burst over the next three minutes, pushing it to 91-84 with 1:35 remaining, as Croatia went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line in that stretch.

In crunch time (4:20), Croatia shut Germany out 10-0, sealing it with defensive stops and 6-of-6 free throws. Saric went 8-for-12 with 3-of-5 from deep (index 26), Smith finished with 15 points and 6 assists with just one turnover, and bench spark Roko Badzim poured in 11 points in 2:32 during a pivotal third-quarter stretch.