EuroBasket Day 14: Semifinals Diary

  • Last Updated on September 13, 2025 6:46 am by André Lemos | Published: September 13, 2025

    Two semifinals, two very different stories. Finland’s dream run finally met a ceiling against a German team peaking at the right time, while Turkey’s unbeaten streak rolled on thanks to role-player eruption and a defensive masterclass against Giannis and Greece.

     

    Germany 98, Finland 86

    Finland, playing in their first-ever EuroBasket semifinal, came out energized. They leaned on smart baseline out-of-bounds actions and tried to run whenever possible, while Olivier Nkamhoua gave them an early scoring lift. Germany looked flat at the start, Franz Wagner missed some easy ones inside, but quickly found a rhythm by turning Finnish mistakes into transition chances. Schroder and Wagner took over late in the first, combining to punish poor closeouts and poor shot selection, sparking a 21–10 run that gave Germany a 30–26 edge after 10 minutes.

    The second quarter swung sharply. Germany’s defense locked in, fronting the post and sending help from the weakside to force Finland into static halfcourt possessions. The result was a five-minute stretch without a point for Finland, while Schroder relentlessly got into the paint and Wagner found his touch. By halftime, Schroder had 10 and 8 assists, Wagner 23, and Germany led 61–47 after shooting 50% from three. The contrast was stark: Germany scored 12 points off seven Finnish turnovers, while Finland generated none in return.

    Finland refused to fold. With Lauri Markkanen quiet and often static off the ball, the supporting cast, Nkamhoua, Valtonen, Maxhuni and Muurinen, stepped up in the third quarter. A 13–4 run off the bench slashed the lead back into single digits, capped by Nkamhoua’s confident finishing. Germany’s offense bogged down when Schroder sat with foul trouble, and suddenly it was 81–73 heading into the fourth.

    But that was as close as Finland would get. Germany’s defense dictated the opening minutes of the final frame, holding Finland to just two points in five minutes. Theis steadied things inside despite battling foul trouble, and when Obst and da Silva buried back-to-back threes, the margin ballooned again. From there, Schroder closed it out with his mix of scoring and playmaking, ensuring there would be no upset.

    The numbers reflected Germany’s control: a 15–6 edge in points off turnovers, a 26-of-31 mark from the free-throw line and only a two offensive rebound difference, an aspect of the game they needed to manage. Schroder was brilliant, finishing with 26 points and 12 assists, the most assists in a EuroBasket semifinal in the last 30 years, while Wagner added 22. Nkamhoua kept Finland afloat with 21 on perfect shooting for much of the night, but Markkanen’s 16 on 6-of-17 left the Wolfpack without the star punch they needed.

    Germany march into their first EuroBasket final since 2005, their team proving to bee elite once again and their stars delivering in key moments. For Finland, the dream run continues in the third-place game, still with a chance to claim their first medal at this level.

     

    Turkey 94, Greece 68

    From the opening tip, Turkey’s game plan was clear: keep Giannis away from the paint defensively and punish Greece with spacing. They opened with pick-and-pop action, pulling Giannis out and forcing miscommunications. Ercan Osmani made every slip hurt, hitting his first four threes on the way to 11 points in the first five minutes. By the end of the quarter, he was a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and had 18 points in his first 13 minutes, setting the tone for a Turkish offense that built a 26–16 lead after one.

    Greece had a brief spark from their bench, with Kostas Antetokounmpo giving energy and rim protection and Tyler Dorsey knocking down threes to keep them afloat early. But Turkey’s defense was suffocating. Sengun and Osman shaded toward Giannis on every drive, forcing him into contested finishes and heavy traffic, while Cedi Osman and Sehmus Hazer pressured the passing lanes. By halftime, Greece had already committed 12 turnovers and trailed 50–31, with Giannis stuck at 2-for-7 from the field.

    In the second half, Ergin Ataman’s team never loosened its grip. Thanasis Antetokounmpo came in to guard Osmani, and Giannis shifted onto Sengun, but Turkey kept executing. Sengun finally found his rhythm inside, scoring over Giannis on the first possession of the third quarter and continuing to facilitate from the elbows, keeping Greece from ever mounting a sustained run.

    The stat sheet told the story of Turkey’s balance and efficiency: 26 assists on 35 made field goals, just 9 offensive rebounds allowed and another night of elite shooting (45.5% from three). Osmani finished with a career night: 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-8 from three, without a single free throw attempt. Cedi Osman added 17 points and a game-high +32 plus/minus, while Sengun posted 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists despite a slow start on the scoring department.

    For Greece, turnovers were fatal. Their 22 giveaways are the most in a EuroBasket semifinal in three decades, and they simply never found an offensive flow. Giannis battled for 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, but Turkey’s collective defense crowded him into frustration. Outside of Dorsey’s early threes, Greece got little consistency from their perimeter.

    This was Turkey at their best: physical defense, fluid ball movement and role players rising in big moments. With Sengun’s gravity creating lanes, Osmani spacing the floor, and Cedi setting the two-way tone, they look every bit the contender Ataman promised they would be. Now, after 24 years, Turkey is back in the EuroBasket final, still unbeaten, with a chance at their first-ever gold.

     

    This article was written by the European Hoops team: Tiago Cordeiro, João Caeiro, Diogo Valente and André Lemos. Make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at @EthosEuroleague!

    September 13, 2025, 5:42 am