With 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, Rockets star Alperen Sengun led Turkey to a statement win in FIBA play versus Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Turkey finished atop its EuroBasket group (5-0).
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 competition, Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun rose to the occasion again, leading Turkey to a 95-90 win (box score) over Serbia.
Turkey finished Group A play in Latvia with a perfect 5-0 record, and Wednesday’s victory was easily the most impressive — since Serbia is led by three-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokic.
Sengun, a 2025 NBA All-Star, finished with an efficient 28 points, shooting 10-of-17 overall (58.8%) and 4-of-7 from 3-point range (57.1%). He also added 13 rebounds and 8 assists.
His big-man counterpart, the Denver Nuggets superstar, tallied 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals — though Serbia went -7 in 33 Jokic minutes. Turkey went +9 in Sengun’s 36 minutes.
In a tight game, both stars came up clutch down the stretch. Jokic made a putback layup off of a Nikola Jovic miss with 1:01 left, giving Serbia a 90-89 lead. But Sengun responded by drawing a foul and converting both free throws, giving Turkey a 91-90 lead with just over 40 seconds left.
With about 20 seconds left, Sengun came up with a crucial steal on the perimeter, as he stripped the ball away from Serbian guard Marko Guduric. Serbia had one more chance to tie it late, but a contested 3-pointer by Jokic was long, and Sengun grabbed the rebound. The Rockets star made two more free throws to secure the victory.
Next up for Sengun and Turkey is a knockout-round matchup versus Sweden, with tipoff at 4:00 a.m. Central on Saturday. Serbia (4-1 in group play) also advanced to the 16-team knockout round, so it’s possible that a rematch of Wednesday’s thriller could be in the cards later this month.