Big News in the Eurobasket! Markkanen's Finland knocks out Jokic's Serbia

The first day of the EuroBasket 2025 round of 16 brought the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. Finland eliminated the top favorite Serbia, led by the NBA three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, with a 92-86 victory that knocked out one of the top title contenders.

Serbia aimed to make up for their elimination in the same round in 2022, when Italy defeated them 94-86. However, history repeated itself, and the Serbians suffered another tough blow, this time against a determined Finland that showed character and confidence to achieve a historic triumph.

The standout of the match was Lauri Markkanen, who scored 29 points with 8 of 24 shooting from the field. His offensive leadership was crucial, yet he was not alone. Elias Valtonen emerged as the unexpected hero in the final stretch with eight consecutive points in the last minutes, allowing Finland to maintain their lead and close out the game calmly from the free-throw line.

For Serbia, Nikola Jokic delivered an outstanding performance with 33 points on 9 of 13 shooting and eight rebounds. Together with Nikola Jovic, a player for the Miami Heat, they contributed 53 of the 86 points for their team, but individual efforts fell short in preventing the elimination. The lack of offensive support and the struggle to contain Finland's moments of inspiration ultimately doomed the Balkan team.

Furthermore, this victory held a historic significance for Finland: it was their first win against Serbia in a EuroBasket. In 2015, they lost by 13 points, and in 2022, by a 30-point margin, but this time they managed to score the biggest upset in the elimination phase. With this, they secured their spot in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive edition, replicating the feat accomplished in 2022.

The match started with a blazing start by Finland, opening with an 11-1 run thanks to two consecutive three-pointers from Mikael Jantunen. Serbia fought back in the second quarter, outscoring 24-16 in that stretch, but Markkanen's 16 points in the first half kept the Nordic team in the game. The third period was tightly contested, with Finland entering the final quarter ahead 68-66.

In the closing stages, the Finns defended their lead solidly and entered the last two minutes with an 82-78 advantage. It was then that Valtonen embarked on his decisive run, while Markkanen sealed the deal from the line, sealing one of the biggest surprises in recent EuroBasket history.

Now, Finland awaits the winner of the clash between France and Georgia in the quarterfinals.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¡Bombazo en el Eurobasket! La Finlandia de Markkanen se carga a la Serbia de Jokic