Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen and Finland upset Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic, Miami Heat's Nikola Jovic, and the Serbian national basketball team, 92-86, in EuroBasket. Finland beat Serbia in the round of 16 of EuroBasket 2025. After the loss, Jovic revealed an honest take.
From the beginning of the game, Jovic admitted to why he couldn't find his stride, per Heat reporter Ira Winderman.
“I just wasn't ready to play from the jump,” Jovic said.
Nikola Jovic finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists, and Jokic's 33 points led Serbia. However, Markkanen's 29 points led three of his teammates, who scored in double figures for Finland. Mikael Jantunen finished with 15 points, and Miro Little and Elias Valtonen scored 13 points each. Finalnd also connected on 15-of-42 threes. Serbia went 11-of-36 from deep.
After taking an 11-1 lead, Finland finished the first quarter ahead 16-5. Serbia clawed back to tie the game at 28-28 in the second quarter and went into halftime ahead 48-44, with Jokic scoring 16 first-half points. But the Finns continued to fight, keeping the score tight and entering the final quarter with a 68-66 advantage.
The game swung back and forth in the fourth quarter. Serbia went on a 6-0 run to take a 77-75 lead with under five minutes left. Then, Valtonen turned in an impressive stretch. He scored eight of his 13 points in the final two minutes, including two three-pointers and a tip-in, putting Finland up 87-81 with 53 seconds to play.
The game swung back and forth in the last 10 minutes. Serbia went on a 6-0 run to lead 77-75 with under five minutes left, but Elias Valtonen turned the contest with a remarkable stretch. Valtonen scored 8 of his 13 points in the final two minutes, including two three-pointers and a tip-in, putting Finland up 87-81 with 53 seconds to play.
Will this be Nikola Jokic's last EuroBasket for Serbia?
For fans of Serbian basketball, the disappointing elimination game could spell the end of Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic's EuroBasket aspirations. After a loss, Rockets' Alperen Sengun gushed over Jokic's impressive performance after Turkey's 95-90 win. For Sengun, it reassured Jokic's place among the world's elite players, he said, per FIBA.
“Jokic is one of the best players in the world. Rather, he's the best, as of recently,” Sengun said. “To play and get this win against him was really important for us. As for me, I also had the extra motivation for this game. So we're happy. I'm happy I've played well and we won.”
Jokic finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
