The 2025 EuroBasket dream is officially dead for Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Jokic, the two Nuggets players who represented their respective countries over the past couple weeks in the prestigious tournament. Jokic and Serbia — the favorites to win the tournament — were unexpectedly bounced from the first round of the knockout stage while Valanciunas and Lithuania were outmatched by Greece on Tuesday, 87-76.
Despite the loss, Valanciunas did everything in his power to try and carry Lithuania to victory. He finished the quarterfinal game with 24 points (9-for-16 shooting) and 15 rebounds, and was one of just two players on the team to finish the game with a positive plus/minus (+4). Some of the shots he made should be a good sign for Nuggets fans who are looking forward to the upcoming season, as Valanciunas will bring a scoring ability to the bench that the Nuggets haven’t had since Jusuf Nurkic was in town.
Toughest dude on the block.#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/TUOSAKPWeS
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 9, 2025
He went toe-to-toe with Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 29 points of his own in the game. The two were battling all game long and had some physical moments throughout the contest, but shared a moment of respect with each other after Greece got the best of Lithuania.
Giannis and Jonas Valanciunas do a full embrace after the game as Greece advances 🤍 https://t.co/ltb2kGdfTy pic.twitter.com/FlNMbrYhqB
— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@Heavenlybuckets) September 9, 2025
Valanciunas finished the tournament averaging 15.7 points per game, the 19th-best mark among all players in the competition.
There are still quite a few NBA players left in the competition, including Luka Doncic, Lauri Markkanen, Alperen Sengun and Antetokounmpo. The quarterfinal round wraps up on Wednesday with Slovenia battling Germany, with the tournament final set to take place on Sunday.
For Valanciunas and Jokic, the focus now shifts to the Nuggets and the NBA season. Many of the players on the roster have already been getting work in with each other at offseason pickup runs, and will get their dynamic center duo back shortly to kick off training camp and the 2025-26 season.
