The knockout stage of EuroBasket 2025 kicked off with some exciting matches, as Turkey, Germany, and Lithuania all booked their spots in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The day was filled with standout performances and hard-fought battles.
While the favourite teams advanced, it wasn’t always a smooth ride. Germany had to fight back from a poor shooting performance in the first half, while Turkey faced a tough challenge from Sweden right to the end. Lithuania also had to withstand a late push from co-host Latvia to secure their win.
🇹🇷 ## Sengun Leads Turkey in a Tight Contest Houston Rockets forward Alperen Sengun put on a fantastic show for Turkey in their 85-79 win against Sweden. He had an excellent all-around performance with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists. The game was very close, and Sweden managed to tie it at 76-76 with less than three minutes to go. However, Turkey, with an additional 17 points from Cedi Osman, held on to secure their spot in the quarterfinals.
🇩🇪 ## Germany Overcomes Slow Start Germany had a tough start against Portugal, eventually winning 85-58. The Germans struggled with their shooting in the first half, making only 1 of 18 three-point attempts and were trailing 32-31 at halftime. Portugal’s Neemias Queta of the Boston Celtics played well, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. But Germany turned things around with a strong defensive effort in the final quarter, allowing only seven points to pull away for a convincing victory. Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner both led Germany with 16 points each.
🇱🇹 ## Lithuania Powers Through, Looks Ahead to Quarterfinals In another key matchup, three-time champion Lithuania defeated tournament co-host Latvia 88-79. Arnas Velicka was outstanding for Lithuania, finishing with 21 points and 12 assists. Looking ahead, Turkey will face either Poland or Bosnia-Herzegovina. Germany is set to play the winner of the Italy vs. Slovenia match, which could feature superstar Luka Dončić, while Lithuania will take on either Greece or Israel. The rest of the last-16 matches will be played on Sunday.
