Germany coach Henrik Dettman had stressed before the match that his team were not seeking revenge, but victory over Turkey in their first preparation match for next month’s European Championships was still mighty sweet.

It was Turkey who knocked out Germany at the semi-final stage of the 2001 European Championships and an 83-82 win on Friday night in Nurnberg will not make up for that disappointment.

But it was a great way to show that the Germans can be counted serious title contenders for this year's summer showpiece.

NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki, of the Dallas Mavericks, lived up to all expectations with a team-high haul of 24 points as Germany edged out their visitors.

But Dettman was adamant that it was a team effort, saying: "We won the match because we were superior in rebounds.

"In defence we are still making too many errors however.

"Nevertheless it was great to be in Nurnberg and we had a lot of fun."

The party atmosphere contributed to a spectacular evening's entertainment, with Germany at one stage leading 59-48 before Turkey began to make more of an impression.

On a 18-6 run, the away team broke into a 66-65 lead of their own before Germany again imposed themselves in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, going 83-79 up, which proved to be an unassailable lead.

"I really fought hard and gave all I had," centre Sven Schultze, who plays his club basketball for Bayer Leverkusen, told the German federation's website (www.basketball-bund.de).

"It all worked out well in the end and I’m glad about it."

The Germans were playing Turkey in the second match of their double-header on Saturday afternoon.