EuroBasket warm-up: Doncic struggles with 4 of 18 shooting in heavy loss to Serbia; Schroder scores 24+10 for near buzzer-beater over Spain

On August 22 Beijing time, EuroBasket warm-up matches proceeded as Serbia crushed Slovenia 106-72. Doncic managed 17 points, 7 boards, and 4 assists on 4-of-18 shooting; Jokic recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists effortlessly. Latvia defeated Italy 83-68; Finland beat Poland 106-87; Germany edged Spain 106-105 in overtime with Schroder’s clutch layup; Czech Republic won 100-87 over Georgia.

Serbia 106 - Slovenia 72

In the final warm-up before EuroBasket, Serbia secured a commanding 34-point victory over Slovenia. Jokic nearly posted a double-double in 19 minutes, tallying 10 points (4-for-4 on twos, 2-for-2 free throws), 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Meanwhile, Doncic struggled offensively, shooting 4 of 18 in 27 minutes for 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers.

Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic led all scorers with 18 points; his NBA coach Spoelstra was in attendance. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 14 points, and Tristan Vukcevic contributed 10 points.

The game was essentially decided in the first half. Serbia started with a 10–0 run, leading 33–23 after the first quarter, then extended the gap to 21 points (49–28) early in the second quarter with a 16–5 run. From that point, the hosts maintained control and never allowed a comeback.

Serbia enters EuroBasket undefeated in seven warm-up games, solidifying their status as the tournament favorites. Slovenia, on the other hand, managed only one win in six warm-up matches.

In the 2025 EuroBasket, Serbia is placed in Group A alongside hosts Latvia, Portugal, Estonia, Turkey, and the Czech Republic. Slovenia is in Group D with hosts Poland, Iceland, Belgium, Israel, and France.

Latvia 83 - Italy 68

Latvia faced Italy for the second time in warm-ups, but the outcomes were very different. On August 9 in Trieste, Italy won at home; this time, Latvia avenged that loss with an 83-67 victory in Athens.

After losing to Greece at the Athens tournament opener under coach Luka Banchi, this win allows Latvia to return to Riga with a more positive mindset.

Porzingis contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Rolands Smits (13 points, 3 rebounds) and Davis Bertans (12 points, 3 rebounds) followed closely behind.

Italy, conversely, did not play Danilo Gallinari, and Simone Fontecchio struggled to find his shot. Matteo Spagnolo and Momo Diouf combined for 31 points in the defeat.

Finland 106 - Poland 87

Finland secured their fourth consecutive warm-up win by defeating Poland 106-87. Unlike previous friendlies, Lauri Markkanen did not have a standout game but still contributed 6 points and 7 rebounds in 17 minutes and 35 seconds of play.

Olivier Nkamhoua led the Nordic team with 18 points, while three other teammates also scored in double digits. Jordan Lloyd scored 17 points for the losing side.

Coached by Lassi Tuovi, the team had previously beaten Igor Milicic’s Poland 97-88 on the road in Sosnowiec four days earlier.

As mentioned, Finland and Poland will co-host the group stage of the 2025 EuroBasket. Finland’s Group B includes Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Montenegro, and the UK; Poland’s Group D features France, Slovenia, Israel, Belgium, and Iceland.

Germany 106 - Spain 105

The warm-up match between Spain and Germany took place in Madrid, with the visiting German team narrowly winning 106-105 in a thrilling overtime. The rematch is scheduled two days later in Cologne, Germany.

Schroder led Germany with 24 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds, securing the team’s fourth warm-up victory ahead of EuroBasket. His late-game near buzzer-beater layup clinched the win. Additionally, Franz Wagner scored 19 points and dished out 7 assists.

In Madrid, facing coach Scariolo’s new supporters, Brizuela scored 20 points for Spain. Before the game, Sergio Llull was honored with a national team retirement ceremony.

Germany aims to improve on their third-place finish from the 2022 EuroBasket. Their group stage games will be held in Tampere against Finland, Lithuania, Montenegro, the UK, and Sweden.

Spain’s group stage matches will take place in Limassol, facing co-host Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia.