Dennis Schroder leads Germany to knockout round at EuroBasket

Sacramento Kings point guard Dennis Schröder scored 26 points as Germany beat Lithuania 107-88 to become the first team to qualify for the round of 16 at EuroBasket on Saturday.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner added 24 points and seven rebounds, and Daniel Theis chipped in with 23 points as Germany got a third win in as many games.

Germany won the game from long range, hitting 19 three-pointers on 54 per cent shooting, with Schröder going 5-of-10 from distance. Schroder also handed out six assists in another strong performance despite him being targeted by racial abuse from two fans, who were ejected from the stadium in Tampere, Finland.

Rokas Jokubaitis scored 20 points for Lithuania, which is 2-1, and Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points.

Lithuania pulled to within 55-51 in the third quarter, when Wagner scored six points in an 8-2 run and Germany saw out the win.

World champion Germany guaranteed it will move on from Group B with its 3-0 start. The top four teams in each of the four groups of six teams each will advance to the knockout phase in Riga, Latvia, from Sept. 6-14.

Miami Heat’s Pelle Larsson scored 23 as Sweden (1-2) beat Britain (0-3) 78-59 also in Group B.

Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio scored 14 to help Italy (1-1) beat Georgia (1-1) 78-62 in Group C in Cyprus.

Belgium overcame a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Iceland (0-2) 71-64 and improve to 1-1 in Group D, played in Katowice, Poland.

Estonia (1-2) beat Czech Republic (0-3) 89-75 in Group A, in Riga, Latvia.