By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokić and Serbia are out of the 2025 EuroBasket.
Finland pulled off a stunning upset in the Round of 16, eliminating three-time NBA MVP Jokić and the Serbian national team, which one year ago got the bronze in the Paris Olympics, with a 92-86 victory at the Xiaomi Arena.
It came down to the wire, but Finland showed more focus, with Elias Valtonen hitting crucial buckets in the final moments to push his team over the edge.
Lauri Markkanen led Finland with 29 points, Mikael Jantunen added 15, and Miro Little contributed a key performance with 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Valtonen also chipped in 13 points.
Marrkanen was, of course, the star of the night, and as he said post-game: “It was an unreal performance by the team. We needed every single one of them tonight, and so everybody in the stands and the staff, and the player. Just big credit to them and we’re not done yet, but we’re going to enjoy this”.
Take a bow, Lauri Markkanen #Eurobasket pic.twitter.com/fWJNTLduu1
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 6, 2025
On Serbia’s side, Nikola Jokić scored 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds, shooting 14/19 from the free-throw line, but only Nikola Jović followed him in double digits with 20 points.
The key number was 20 offensive rebounds by Finland, as coach Svetislav Pesic underlined; however, the big picture is that the missing captain Bogdan Bogdanovic, due to injury, proved more than crucial.
Ironically, with Bogdanovic also out in the Eurobasket 2022, Serbia, with Jokic in the roster, was defeated in the Round of 16, that time by Italy.