Rumors

The first day of the Round of 16 at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 ended with the tournament's biggest surprise. Heavy favorites Serbia, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, were upset by Finland 92-86 and eliminated. For the second EuroBasket in a row, Serbia's campaign ended in the Round of 16. In 2022, they were knocked out by Italy, 94–86. This means Jokic remains without a EuroBasket medal.

BasketNews

Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points (8/24 FG) to take down Jokic and Serbia, but the hero of the day could also be called Elias Valtonen with eight straight clutch points at the end of the fourth quarter. Nikola Jokic had 33 points (9/13 FG) and eight rebounds for Serbia, but that was not enough. He and Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic combined for 53 out of Serbia's 86 points in the game.

BasketNews

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.

EuroHoops.net

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.

EuroHoops.net

Greece has already qualified for the Eurobasket Round of 16. Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) and Giannoulis Larentzakis (back) were rested after sustaining minor injuries, and the game started with a 34-21 lead over Bosnia. In the end, however, Bosnia got its second win of the tournament with the final score being 80-77, and can also hope to qualify depending on the result on the last day of the tournament against Georgia.

EuroHoops.net

Thanks to an amazing 18-0 run, Bosnia turned things around, led 39-34 two minutes before the end of halftime, and never looked back. Naturalized guard John Roberson, with 18 points, was the top scorer of the winners. Jusuf Nurkic also scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds, and Edin Atic also scored 15.

EuroHoops.net

Christos Tsaltas: Asked Jusuf Nurkic if Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence changed the game plan for Bosnia. "It didn't change a lot. We had the same attachment on offense or defense. Regardless of who gonna play there, you have to have the same discipline. "#EuroBasket #GREBIH @athletiko_gr

Twitter

The Lithuanian national team managed to slow down Lauri Markkanen, holding him under 20 points for the first time at EuroBasket 2025. That proved to be the key for Lithuania, as despite Mikael Jantunen’s strong performance, they pulled off an 81-78 victory in Tampere.

EuroHoops.net

Lauri Markkanen delivered after his incredible warm-up game performances, putting up an astonishing scoring display at EuroBasket 2025. The Finnish star scored 43 points (13/22 FG, 7/13 3PT), grabbed 2 rebounds, and recorded 4 steals, leading Finland to their second straight win in the tournament, this time over Great Britain, 109-79.

BasketNews

This performance ties Markkanen’s own EuroBasket career high of 43 points, which he first set against Croatia in 2022. Markkanen also became the first player in 36 years to record multiple 40-point games at EuroBasket, since legendary Greek guard Nikos Galis.

BasketNews

In the EuroBasket 2025 opener for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jusuf Nurkic stood out with a team-high 18 points in a comfortable win, 91-64, versus Cyprus. The 31-year-old center of the Utah Jazz added six rebounds, two steals, one block, and one steal. “We kind of used the game for something to maybe trick people, but at the end of the day, it’s a good start and I feel great to get first off my chest,” he recapped the team effort to begin a five-game round-robin schedule in Limassol.

EuroHoops.net

Tyronn Lue: “Moving over six inches on the bench—that’s what people don’t understand. It’s tough. Especially when it happens midway through the season. We had just gone to the Finals. Lost Game 6 without Kevin Love and Kyrie. And now I’m being asked to replace Coach Blatt, who had done a hell of a job. If we didn’t make it back to the Finals—or at least to Game 7—I was going to be viewed as a failure. And that pressure? Man, it was real.” “I didn’t even know if I could do it. You’re taking over halfway through the year—no training camp, no time to implement your own system. You’ve got to stick to what’s already there. And on top of that, you’re coaching the best player in the world. That adds another level of pressure. It was tough.” “But I’ve got to give credit to K-Love, Kyrie, Bron, JR, Tristan—those guys told me: ‘We got your back 100%. Whatever you want to do, let’s do it.’ I told them, ‘I’m going to make some mistakes, but if we stick together, we’ll be fine.’ And they really had my back. All the way.”

YouTube

“Was Coach Blatt’s message just not getting through? Was it falling on deaf ears? Somebody upstairs must’ve made the call. Why would you fire the head coach when you’re the number one seed—after just going to the Finals?” Tyronn Lue: “Look, for me, I think he did a great job. But here’s the thing—when you coach overseas, you are the face of the team. Whatever you say goes, no matter which players are on the roster. You’re in control. But in the NBA? The players are the face of the team. And that’s a totally different dynamic.” “So even if you want to go off on someone—cuss a guy out—you might not be able to do that today. You know what I’m saying? You just can’t do it the same way. But I’ll be honest: his offensive system? It was great. I wish I could run it today. All the stuff he brought over was good stuff. The problem? It didn’t fit with Bron. Bron’s not going to run around the way that system required. Kyrie wants to dance. He’s not coming off curls. Kevin Love isn’t a mover either.” “The offense worked in Europe—but it didn’t match our personnel.

YouTube

As expected, the Utah Jazz star carried the winning side with 28 points, while Mikael Jantunen added 12 and captain Sasu Salin chipped in with 11, while Edon Maxhuni contributed 15 points. Sweden, however, showed they are no pushovers, fighting hard until the very end against the favored Finnish team, as Ludvig Håkanson erupted for 28 points.

EuroHoops.net