Following Turkiye's 88-65 win over Latvia, Kristaps Porzingis praised Alperen Sengun, saying that the Houston Rockets star was very efective with his body movement, which allowed him to dominate.
Following comfortable Turkiye's win over Latvia in the EuroBasket 2025 matchup, Atlanta Hawks star Kristaps Porzingis gave his flowers to Alperen Sengun.
Player of the Game
Kenan Sipahi
26
Kenan Sipahi
Points
Accuracy
Rebounds
Assists
The Houston Rockets All-Star center finished the game with 16 points (7/12 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2/2 FT), 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in 28 minutes of action.
"I mean, he's good," Porzingis told BasketNews. "He's talented, the way he spins around off the body and this, like he's really good at this, you know, one of the best."
"He's like a baby Jokic, you know, so his passing ability and how he makes his teammates better is a credit to him for sure," added the Latvian star.
Sengun also made history by becoming the first Turkish player to record 15+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in multiple EuroBasket games.
Porzingis also addressed Latvia's defensive issues, naming at least one improvement his team could make.
"I think we overhelped. We overhelped," Porzingis said. "We don't need the help as much, especially leaving some of the guys that got hot. We cannot leave them so open."
"Because once you leave them open, then it's in and out, and then we're running out crazy, and then they can get a layup and stuff like that. So he [Kenan Sipahi] just opened everything up for them. It was tough for us," Porzingis concluded.
Sengun vs Porzingis Ends In EuroBasket Opener Stunner
Edvinas Jablonskis
Edvinas Jablonskis began his basketball coverage career in 2017. Starting as a Daily Writer for BasketNews.lt, he steadily climbed the ranks and became a Daily Editor for BasketNews.com in 2021, a position he continues to hold. Over the years, Jablonskis has covered multiple EuroLeague Final Fours and international tournaments, including the FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA Basketball World Cup, and FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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