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Kristaps Porzingis goes off for 34 points, 19 rebounds as Latvia is eliminated by Lithuania
The Lithuanian national team joined Turkey and Germany in the 2025 EuroBasket quarterfinals after defeating hosts Latvia in Riga. Led by Arnas Velicka’s heroics, Rimas Kurtinaitis’ side prevailed 88-79 at the Xiaomi Arena, eliminating the home team despite Kristaps Porzingis’ standout night. Velicka delivered an outstanding performance in the absence of the injured Rokas Jokubaitis, orchestrating Lithuania’s offense and closing the Baltic derby with 21 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds. Azoulas Tubelis added another double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Deividas Sirvydis had his best EuroBasket showing, contributing 18 points. Interestingly, Jonas Valanciunas logged fewer than 10 minutes but still managed to score nine points. On the other side, Porzingis had a monster game with 34 points and 19 rebounds for a PIR of 39, before fouling out in the final minutes. Only Arvydas Sabonis (23 v Greece in 1995) and his fellow countryman Andris Biedrins (20 v France in 2009) have grabbed more in a single EuroBasket game over the last 30 years.
Neemias Queta: "You know it’s not going to be easy when you go against Germany. They’re the world champions for a reason. Very well-coached. A lot of talent, a lot of length, a lot of size. They play up-tempo. We got to make them play our game. Be physical with them. Don’t let them get easy layups in transition, easy scoring opportunities. Slow the game down and make sure they work for every bucket. We're not intimidated by Germany or anybody here in this tournament. We're just ready to go out there and compete."
On paper, Turkey and Germany have a clear path to the semifinals of the Eurobasket. pic.twitter.com/FVv99e3Qvy
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) September 4, 2025
Like it happened against Lithuania, Lauri Markkanen couldn’t save the day, and Germany got the easy 91-61 win over Finland in the last game of Group A, in Tampere. Franz Wagner was phenomenal with 23 points, seven rebounds, and three assists; still, once more, the Germans prevailed as a well-oiled machine, starting from their defense.
Franz Wagner drops 23 points, seven rebounds in easy Germany win over Lauri Markkanen, Finland
Like it happened against Lithuania, Lauri Markkanen couldn’t save the day, and Germany got the easy 91-61 win over Finland in the last game of Group A, in Tampere. Franz Wagner was phenomenal with 23 points, seven rebounds, and three assists; still, once more, the Germans prevailed as a well-oiled machine, starting from their defense. As assistant coach Alan Ibrahimagic, with head coach Alex Mumbru still recovering, said: “We are happy, we are getting better. Defense was exceptional, I would say, and this is one part of the game which will be crucial in the next phase”. The group hosts couldn’t keep up. Markkanen finished the game with 11 points on 4/15 FG plus 10 rebounds, and Olivier Nkamhoua, also with a double-double (16 p. 10 r.), had his best game so far in the tournament.
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FIBA bans fan for directing racist abuse at Dennis Schroeder
FIBA has banned a spectator from EuroBasket for engaging in racist verbal abuse directed at German captain and Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schröder during Germany’s win over Lithuania in Tampere, Finland, on Saturday. FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, said that on-site security, using CCTV footage, identified and banned the person and has given the footage to local law enforcement, who are continuing to investigate.
Dennis Schroeder accuses Lithuanian fans of racial slurs
Germany beat Lithuania; however, the spotlight after the game turned away from sports, with Dennis Schroder complaining about what happened at halftime. “The Lithuanians, the fans, they always travel with the team, but unfortunately, at halftime, they made monkey noises,” Schroder said in an interview with German Eurobasket broadcaster MagentaSport. “And that’s something I really cannot accept. Racism in this world doesn’t belong here. Nevertheless, it was a good game. I think there were some fans who actually had to leave the stands because of security. I believe it was also reported. That just doesn’t belong in this sport, not in football either. With Vinicius Junior, I’ve seen it happen all the time. But for me, today was the first time experiencing it with the Lithuanians, and it’s sad.”
The Lithuanian fans always support their national team and delivered again in Tampere, Finland, but Germany was simply on another level. The defending world champions trailed only twice in the game (15-13, 18-15) and against Lithuania, delivered a masterclass, getting an easy 107-88 win for a 3-0 start in the tournament, scoring for the third straight time more than 100 points. Dennis Schroder with 26 points, Franz Wagner with 24, and Daniel Theis with 23 on 9/9 FG led a balanced effort as the winners shot with 58% in field goals until the end of the third period.
His EuroLeague debut came with FC Bayern Munich in Germany, and now he has taken on a starring role in Lithuania with Zalgiris Kaunas. Asked by BasketNews who could be the next French player to make the NBA, Francisco replied with a smile: "Maybe me. We'll see, for sure. I'm really confident about it, that's a good thing," Francisco noted. "Maybe me, we'll see. We got some other guys that are gonna get drafted and all that, but you never know. "It's still a dream," he added. "I'm not gonna deny that. It's still a dream. And I'm just gonna go step by step."
Dennis Schroeder: The negativity in Germany is definitely very, very high
So do you want to say a few words about how it feels when you play in America and then come to Germany and have to endure this negativity? Dennis Schroeder: Yes, the negativity here in Germany is definitely very, very high. I remember — there was an interview after we became world champions. You were there with Andi, and you were with the reporter. He asked a question, and I was like, ‘Yeah man…’ but I answered sarcastically, of course. It was funny, but he wanted to say something again — and we had just become world champions! We were the best in the world. We had won eight times! I don’t even know what the question was anymore Moritz Wagner: I think that was actually Benny from Magenta Sport — shoutout! But still, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just in our DNA — the analysis. Dennis Schroeder: That’s just how it is. And I don’t know how many negative headlines I’ve had in Germany. That’s just how it is. And the questions still keep coming. They’re really trying to trick you into saying something they can use for attention. That’s my feeling. But here’s the thing — recognition? That’s when you’re in Greece — and I don’t want to compare myself to any country — but in Greece, like with Giannis or the other players, the people idolize their players. All players. Not just one person — all of them. They idolize their players. And with us? It just doesn’t feel like that. And I don’t want to change it — it is what it is.
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Germany faced a sudden issue ahead of the opener, with head coach Alex Mumbru being hospitalized in Tampere due to an acute infection. However, Schröder believes the team will remain unaffected, with assistant coach Alan Ibrahimagic stepping in. “At the end of the day, we all know what the team has done over the last couple of years. Alan coached the U18 European champions, made history with them, and the U19 team became second in the World Cup. So this is just another bump in the road. Hopefully, Alex Mumbru gets healthy quickly because health is the most important thing, and we’ll take care of everything until he gets back.”
Germany finalized the 12-man roster for the 2025 EuroBasket upon completion of training camp games Saturday with a win over Spain. The players that compile the EuroBasket squad are the following: Isaac Bonga, Oscar Da Silva, Tristan Da Silva, Justus Hollatz, Leon Kratzer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis, Johannes Thiemann, Johannes Voigtmann, Franz Wagner
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