Nikola Jokic’s Serbia entered the 2025 Eurobasket tournament as the consensus favorites to win Europe’s most significant international basketball event outside of the Olympics. They will instead depart empty-handed thanks to an upset by a Nordic nation, led by its own NBA All-Star.
With 29 points from Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, Finland, ranked 20th in the world entering this tournament, upset Jokić’s Serbia 92-86 in the Round of 16 on Saturday in Riga, Latvia, sending Jokic’s team home in this round for the second consecutive Eurobasket tournament.
Jokić led Serbia with 33 points and eight rebounds, but struggled to defend in space late in the fourth quarter. After Jokic’s two free throws gave Serbia a 77-75 lead with just under five minutes to play, Finland ripped off a 14-4 run