World champions Germany had a winning start in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament on Saturday with a 97-77 success over Japan. Captain Dennis Schröder, one of the German flag bearers at Friday’s opening ceremony in Paris, scored the first points in Lille as Germany never trailled over the 40 minutes but they will need some improvement in defence in their upcoming matches. Franz Wagner led the way with 22 points and Daniel Theis had 18, while Rui Hachimura paced Japan with 20 points. Germany next face Brazil on Tuesday and the final group match is against hosts France with their teenage se…