Dennis Schröder and Dirk Nowitzki each finished with 15 points as Germany held on to defeat Iceland 71-65 in both team's EuroBasket opener.
Germany was the favorite going in and was clearly the bigger and more talented squad. They jumped out to an early double digit lead, but were unable to put Iceland completely away. Iceland cut the lead to just six points with under three minutes remaining in the fourth, but Germany was able to pull things out at the free throw line to escape the upset bid. Germany struggled to execute its offense down the stretch which led to a number of turnovers and good opportunities for Iceland.