EuroBasket Daily Preview: Six Teams Already Qualified, Jokic, Sengun, Schröder, and Markkanen Aim for Fourth Straight Win

On September 1st Beijing Time, the EuroBasket group stage continues, with six teams (all undefeated at 3-0) having already secured their places in the Round of 16: Serbia, Turkey, Germany, Finland, Greece, and Poland. The other teams will compete fiercely for the remaining spots—

September 1st, 18:30: Sweden vs Montenegro

After losing to Finland and Germany in the first two rounds of the group stage, the Swedish men’s basketball team bounced back in the third round by defeating Great Britain, bringing them closer to qualifying for the Round of 16. Their next task is to beat Montenegro. Of particular importance for Sweden is the return of Larsson and Bilgande.

Montenegro is struggling, having suffered three consecutive losses with a combined deficit of 77 points. To achieve their pre-tournament goal of reaching the Round of 16, they must fully commit and regain their fighting spirit.

The two teams have previously faced each other twice officially, with one win each.

September 1st, 19:45: Estonia vs Turkey

After a heavy defeat to Serbia in their opening game, Estonia narrowly lost to Latvia by just two points, then reignited their hopes by beating the Czech Republic in the third round.

Turkey is in excellent form, having comfortably defeated Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Portugal, proving themselves strong contenders for the gold medal. Sengun is outstanding, averaging 19.7 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.

The two teams have met only once before in the 1993 EuroBasket, where Estonia won 77-74 against Turkey.

September 1st, 21:30: Germany vs Great Britain

The German national team has been very strong so far, convincingly defeating Montenegro, Sweden, and Lithuania. In the victory over Lithuania, Schröder, Wagner Jr., and Thies were the main contributors, scoring a combined total of 73 points.

Great Britain has suffered three straight losses and is expected to miss out on the Round of 16. Although they still have a slim mathematical chance, it is clearly unrealistic for them to beat Germany and Montenegro in their last two group games.

So far, these two teams have met three times officially, with Great Britain winning all three matches. Interestingly, their last major tournament encounter was at the 2013 EuroBasket, where Great Britain won 81-74. Notably, that was Great Britain’s last victory in the EuroBasket; since then, they have lost 14 consecutive games in this competition.

September 1st, 23:00: Portugal vs Latvia

In the EuroBasket opener, Portugal caused a major upset by beating the Czech Republic, keeping their knockout hopes alive. However, they then suffered two double-digit losses to Serbia and Turkey. Now facing Latvia, Portugal must strive for a win.

Meanwhile, Latvia has been one of the biggest disappointments of this EuroBasket so far, barely scraping a win against Estonia. They failed to contain Jokic against Serbia and were similarly dominated by Sengun. Porzingis has not performed at the level needed to lead Latvia to success, and the rest of the team has shown few highlights.

In their head-to-head history, Portugal leads with 2 wins to 1 loss, but all three matches took place between 2007 and 2008.

September 2nd, 01:30: Finland vs Lithuania

After a tough opening win over Sweden, Finland has found their rhythm and secured two convincing victories, clinching a spot in the Round of 16 early. Markkanen currently averages 32.3 points per game, ranking second in scoring behind Doncic (33.0 points).

Lithuania won their first two games against Great Britain and Montenegro but suffered a harsh reality check in the third round against reigning world champions Germany, losing 88-107 and exposing defensive weaknesses. Missing key players like Sabonis, this Lithuanian squad may lack the depth to compete at the highest level.

Though Finland and Lithuania have met multiple times in warm-up matches, this will be their first official competitive encounter.

September 2nd, 02:15: Serbia vs Czech Republic

Serbia secured a third straight win to qualify early for the Round of 16, but Bogdan has withdrawn from the tournament due to a hamstring tear, which is a major blow. In the upcoming game against the Czech Republic, it is widely expected that Jokic’s playing time will be reduced to better prepare him for the crucial match against Turkey.

For the Czech Republic to have a chance at reaching the Round of 16, they must defeat both Serbia and Latvia—an almost impossible task. Simply put, the Czech team lacks strength and does not have a true leader. Krejci was once highly anticipated but has underperformed, possibly being the most disappointing active NBA player in this EuroBasket. After three games, he averages only 7.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, with a shooting percentage of just 26.9%.

In their previous four official meetings, Serbia has won every game against the Czech Republic.