Nurkic Advances, Markkanen To Face MVP At EuroBasket
Sep 4, 2025, 1:55 PM | Updated: 1:56 pm
Jusuf Nurkic #20 of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic, and Gabriele Procida will all compete in the tournament stage at EuroBasket 2025.
While both Markkanen and Procida’s national teams had already advanced out of Group Play, Nurkic’s Bosnia and Herzegovina needed a win on Thursday to punch their ticket.
Related: Finland Advances To Tournament Round At EuroBasket
Nurkic Leads Bosnia And Herzegovina To Tournament Stage
With a record of 2-2, Bosnia and Herzegovina needed to beat Georgia to advance out of Group Play and into the tournament stage at EuroBasket.
Nurkic, the latest center addition by the Utah Jazz, showed he was up to the task.
Jusuf Nurkić and @BiHBasketball advance past the @EuroBasket group stage… for the first time since 1993 ‼️
15 PTS | 12 REB | 2 AST
Watch all the EuroBasket action live on @courtside1891: https://t.co/fPC0xWpW1P pic.twitter.com/revcsV0MxF
— NBA (@NBA) September 4, 2025
The 31-year-old led Bosnia and Herzegovina to an 84-76 victory, recording 15 points and 12 rebounds in just over 31 minutes of action.
Nurkic’s team will now face one of France, Slovenia, Israel, or Poland, qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time since 1993.
Markkanen To Face Jokic To Open Tournament
While Finland advanced out of Group Play with a 3-2 record, they face a difficult task to move on to the round of eight at the tournament.
Markkanen’s Finnish team will face three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia on Saturday in Latvia.
👀🍿Serbia and Finland will face off in the round of 16 at #Eurobasket
Who you got ? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/iFBxXCojAA
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 3, 2025
Serbia finished Group Play with a 4-1 record, suffering its only loss to undefeated Turkey.
Markkanen has averaged 25.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in five appearances at EuroBasket.
Procida Has Best Game For Italy
After sitting for the first three games at EuroBasket, Gabriele Procida has made the most of his opportunity in his last two appearances.
🇮🇹 89 – 54 🇨🇾
Gabriele Procida | 8 puntos, 3 rebotes, 2 asistencias.Eurobasket 2025 pic.twitter.com/rVUO2r5ubQ
— Info Real Madrid – Fan Box2BoxEsp (@RealMadrid__Inf) September 4, 2025
The 23-year-old, whose draft rights belong to the Jazz, scored eight points on 2-7 shooting in Italy’s 89-54 blowout over Cyprus.
Italy finished with a 4-1 record in Group Play and will face one of France, Slovenia, Israel, or Poland to begin the tournament on Sunday.
How To Watch EuroBasket In USA
- Primary streaming to watch EuroBasket 2025 will be available on Courtside 1891 via the DAZN app.
- Premium viewing, including the ability to watch and replay games, is available with Courtside 1891 Max, priced at $29.99.
- Select games can be watched for free via the FIBA YouTube channel.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
