Germany Downs Finland 98-86 to Book First EuroBasket Final Since 2005
germany-downs-finland-98-86-to-book-first-eurobasket-final-since-2005
Germany secured a spot in the EuroBasket 2025 championship game with a 98-86 victory over Finland in Friday’s first semifinal, marking the nation’s first appearance in the tournament’s gold-medal contest in 20 years.
The Germans exploded for 61 points before halftime and weathered a third-quarter push from Finland to maintain control. Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schröder paced the offense with 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds, finishing plus-22 in a little over 31 minutes.
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner contributed 22 points and five rebounds, while his NBA teammate Tristan Da Silva added 13 points and four boards. Former NBA center Daniel Theis supplied 10 points and 11 rebounds, and one-time NBA swingman Isaac Bonga chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.
Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, Finland’s leading scorer throughout the event, was limited to 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting and posted a minus-24 in 28 minutes.
Despite the loss, Finland has already achieved its best EuroBasket finish by reaching the final four and will play for bronze on Sunday. Germany, which claimed EuroBasket bronze in 2022, captured the 2023 FIBA World Cup and finished fourth at the 2024 Olympics, will meet the winner of Friday’s Greece-Turkey matchup in Sunday’s title game. The loser of that contest will face Finland in the third-place game.
Source: HoopsRumors
