Lauri Markkanen shone and inspired his supporting cast as Finland pulled off the upset of EuroBasket 2025. Despite a fine performance by Nikola Jokic and a solid contribution by Nikola Jovic, Serbia just didn’t have an answer to the fiery Finns in Riga.
There’s always drama at the last 16 in EuroBasket. This wasn’t the game where it was expected. Lauri Markkanen got a lot of help but he was a superstar as Finland stunned Serbia to advance to the quarter finals.
No fait accomplit at EuroBasket
Finland came out swinging. The big question before this game was Finland’s interior D or rather the complete absence of it up to now in EuroBasket 2025. Their plan to count this seemed to be just to score at a furious rate. Lauri Markkanen led the charge but the Susijengi at large made light work of Serbia’s D for most of the first quarter.
Considering this is a team with Aleksa Avramovic, arguably the best perimeter defender in FIBA ball, that’s a concern. He came into this game carrying a knock and it was likely still at him as he looked anything but his usual self.
Then there’s the obvious matter of Serbia having Nikola Jokic, probably the best player on the planet. He was a bit slow getting going but that was symptomatic of Serbia’s wider sluggishness. Nikola Jovic basically carried the load to ensure things didn’t get silly early. It was far from an impressive start all the same.
Triple Nikola time
Nikola Militunov does a fine job spelling for Nikola Jokic. He really enjoys it when Serbia go double-big and they get to play together. With Nikola Jovic also on the floor it’s a whole lot of meat working with a kid that loves to run.
Lauri Markkanen was still firing well but Serbia had settled nicely. Jokic had a vintage drive in the lane where he took a heap of contact from Markkanen but still got his bucket. Late in the half, there was a beautiful step back J from Jokic over Lauri as well. Yet while Serbia were playing better, this was hardly the performance that was expected.
Credit to the Finns, who found a way to guard the paint for the first time in the whole competition. It had been a glaring hole in their game the whole way through the group phase in Tampere. Having Markkanen work off Mikael Jantunen more than the reverse, and working to cover up Sasu Salin’s limitations, helped a lot.
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Well, that’s not good
Nikola Jokic in foul trouble isn’t what Serbia needed. When the Denver Nuggets superstar picked up his third early in the third quarter, it was exactly the opposite of what Svetislav Pesic’s side needed. The Joker stayed on the floor but obviously had to be a touch more cautious with the physical side of his game.
Marko Guduric and Stefan Jovic put in some hard work to make up for it. Filip Petrusev and Ognjen Dobic also added some well-needed steel to toughen things up. Still the pressure continued to get to the fancied Serbs.
Mikael Jantunen was providing sterling support to Lauri Markkanen on both ends and the Susijengi in the stands came to life when a Sasu Salin three put them up by 5. It was awfully reminiscent of Serbia’s defeat to Italy at this stage in 2022. Jokic was doing his part but the only real scoring help he was getting came from Nikola Jovic.
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Firing it up
Nikola Jokic returned to the floor with 8.32 remaining and his side trailing by 2. Jokic tied it up and quickly started roaring at his teammates to defend. Miikka Muurinen, the little seen revelation for Finland at this tournament, wasn’t worried and nailed one from deep.
Then the kid did it again. Lassi Tuovi had been wary of deploying him throughout the tournament. Yet here the 18 year old was giving the Susijengi reason to believe. Slim Jesus, yes that’s his actual nickname, has fully earned the trust of Lauri Markkanen. On the floor together, they sought to bring Finland the biggest upset of the tournament to date.
Yet his youthful fallacies were still there. While complaining against a no-call, Muurinen missed a steal by Elias Valtonen and the subsequent pass sailed over his head and out of bounds. In a game this tight, every error mattered.
Elias Valtonen found his moment as Finland shocked Serbia at EuroBasket 2025
The denouement
Their styles are wildly different but their impacts for their teams are equal in importance. Lauri Markkaen pushed Finland back ahead with a jumper in traffic. Jokic kept pounding on the inside, despite picking up his fourth foul. Workhorses as much as superstars, they had to carry the load late. Whoever got more help was going to come out on top.
Valtonen and Nikola Jovic exchanged threes. The Finns were playing with pure belief at both ends. Every man was crashing the boards. Every pass by Serbia was being targeted for the steal. It was sensationally cavalier and enthralling to watch.
Then it was hit. Not Lauri Markkanen, not Jokic, not Jovic, nor Muurinen. No. Once more Elias Valtonen stepped up to the elbow and nailed the decisive three. The blow that brought the Susijengi to dreamland. They had upset Serbia, the pre-tournament favourites, and were advancing to the quarter finals.
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