Nikola Jokic, Serbia Eliminated from EuroBasket Bracket by Lauri Markkanen, Finland

Serbia's quest for a first EuroBasket title since 2001 is over thanks to a 92-86 loss to Finland on Saturday in the round of 16.

Elias Valtonen propelled the Finns to victory with some late heroics. The 6'7" forward scored 10 of his 13 points in the final 4:07 of the contest as he caught fire from the field.

Lauri Markkanen had another standout performance as well, finishing with 29 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals. The Utah Jazz star is the third-leading scorer for the tournament (26.0 PPG), and he's heading toward an All-Tournament Team nod with Finland through to the quarterfinals.

Nikola Jokić dropped a game-high 33 points along with eight boards, three assists, three steals and one block. He shot 9-of-13 from the field and 14-of-19 from the charity stripe, but it wasn't enough to help Serbia stave off the upset.

It's the second straight EuroBasket in which the Eagles were dumped out in the round of 16.

The next EuroBasket is in 2029, by which point Jokić will be 34. Because the 6'11" center's game isn't predicated on him being a great athlete, he should age gracefully as he gets deeper into his 30s.

Still, a lot of Serbian fans might be wondering whether the country's best shot at EuroBasket gold with the three-time MVP on the roster has passed.

Finland, meanwhile, awaits France or Georgia in the quarterfinals.

The French, who won a silver in 2022, sit fourth in FIBA's world rankings but did suffer a 13-point loss to Israel in the group stage. And considering Finland just knocked out the No. 2 in the FIBA rankings, there won't be any intimidation factor, assuming that's the matchup in the next round.