With Serbia's surprising upset, Turkey's narrow victory, and Germany's commanding win, four teams have advanced to the EuroBasket quarterfinals!

On September 7th Beijing time, the EuroBasket Round of 16 kept heating up, producing a crazy night that saw four teams clinch quarterfinal berths early. Turkey beat Sweden 85-79, Germany dominated the second half to rout Portugal 85-58, Lithuania overcame Latvia 88-79, and Serbia was upset 86-92 by Finland. Consequently, Turkey, Germany, Finland, and Lithuania advanced to the quarterfinals ahead of others!

Turkey faced Sweden. Turkey, the group leader, took on Sweden, who ranked fourth. Despite a big gap in strength, Turkey did not dominate much in the first half and was actually held back by Sweden, trailing by 5 points. The second half saw a dramatic shift as Sweden’s offense went cold, missing many shots, while Turkey seized the chance to launch a fierce attack, scoring 26-13 in the third quarter and taking an 8-point lead. In the final quarter, Sweden fought back fiercely with inside drives to briefly take the lead, but Turkey stayed close and the game heated up. In the clutch moments, Şengün showed great composure on both ends, helping Turkey hold on to a 6-point win, extending their winning streak to six and advancing to the quarterfinals!

Germany played Portugal. Germany, the group favorite and top seed, battled fourth-seeded Portugal. For the first three quarters, Germany struggled offensively and couldn’t build a big lead, resulting in a tight contest with only a 1-point difference after three quarters. However, in the final quarter, Germany unleashed dominant play like a storm, scoring an overwhelming 33-7 run that blew the game wide open. They secured their sixth straight win and a quarterfinal spot. Notably, five German players scored in double digits in this match!

Lithuania went up against Latvia. Second-seeded Lithuania faced third-seeded Latvia. Lithuania started strong, spreading the scoring in the first quarter to build a 10-point lead. The rest of the game turned into a back-and-forth battle with the margin hovering in double digits. Latvia relied heavily on fouling defense, giving Lithuania many free throws. Coupled with poor coaching decisions, despite Pozniakas’s heroic efforts, it was a tough fight. Ultimately, Lithuania’s team-oriented basketball prevailed steadily for the win!

Serbia took on Finland. Serbia, the group runner-up and title favorite, faced third-seeded Finland. Finland’s clear strategy was to wear down Jokic, leading to a close, tug-of-war game. In the final moments, Serbia rushed to shoot threes but missed crucial chances, resulting in a stunning upset loss that shocked many. Although Jokic put up impressive stats with 33 points, he couldn’t carry the team to victory. It seems Jokic is not an all-around player at the international level. Serbia’s absence of Bogdanovic had a huge impact and was the main reason for this upset elimination!

Written by / Sports Novel