Nikola Jokic-Alperen Sengun Battle Hyped by Fans as Turkiye Beats Serbia at EuroBasket
NBA fans were treated to a thrilling matchup between the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić and Houston Rocket's Alperen Şengün during FIBA EuroBasket competition on Wednesday.
Şengün scored a game-high 28 points to help Türkiye close out an undefeated group stage of the tournament with a 95-90 win over Jokić and Team Serbia.
Jokić meanwhile led Serbia with 22 points in a loss highlighted by his left-handed dunk in the fourth quarter.
Serbia fell behind early before Jokić helped orchestrate a second-quarter comeback, highlighted by his no-look pass to Filip Petrusev.
Jokić was offered a challenging defensive matchup in Şengün, who helped Türkiye get off to its hot start while limiting the Nuggets star early in the game.
Türkiye gained back the advantage in the third quarter before the two teams traded the lead back and forth for the final 10 minutes.
Jokić's layup put Serbia back in front with over one minute remaining on the clock before Şengün drew a pair of key free throws to regain the lead for Türkiye.
Şengün then iced the win by drawing another foul, impressing fans watching the back-and-forth battle between Türkiye and Serbia's stars.
Jokić finished the game having gone 10-for-16 from the field and 2-for-6 from three, adding nine rebounds and four assists.
Şengün went 10-for-17 from the field and 4-for-7 from behind the arc, adding 13 rebounds and eight assists in Türkiye's win.
The 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament continues when the Round of 16 tips off this Saturday. Türkiye will finish the stage on top of the Group A standings, while Serbia will come in second as both teams advance to the next round.
