Finland upset Nikola Jokic's Serbia 92–86 in the EuroBasket 2025 Round of 16, with Lauri Markkanen scoring 29 points and Elias Valtonen delivering key late-game heroics.
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.
Finland / Schedule
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.
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.
This was Finland's first EuroBasket victory against Serbia, after being defeated in 2015 by 13 points and losing against them in 2022 by a 30-point margin.
Finland qualified for the EuroBasket quarterfinals for the second consecutive time after also doing so in 2022.
Finland opened the game strong against Serbia with an 11–1 run after Mikael Jantunen knocked down back-to-back threes. But Serbia took control in the second quarter, outscoring Finland 24–16 despite Markkanen's 16 first-half points.
The game stayed close in the third quarter, and Finland even held a 68–66 lead entering the final period. They were defending their lead for the majority of the fourth quarter and led by four (82-78) with 1:58 to go in the fourth quarter.
Then, it was the show of Valtonen and Markkanen's coldness to knock down clutch free throws.
Next up, Finland will face the winner of France vs. Georgia in the quarterfinals.
Finland: Lauri Markkanen 29 (8 REB), Mikael Jantunen 15, Elias Valtonen 13, Miro Little 13 (8 REB, 6 AST).
Serbia: Nikola Jokic 33 (8 REB), Nikola Jovic 20 (4 REB).
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