JYVASKYLA (Finland) - Lauri Markkanen wasted no time making his presence felt this summer, erupting for 48 points to lead Finland past Belgium 105-62 in their opening FIBA EuroBasket 2025 preparation game.
Playing his first game for Finland since the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, the Utah Jazz superstar set a new national team career-high after going 17-of-24 from the field, including 7-of-13 from range, while also adding 9 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in 25 minutes of action.
The 48-point performance set a new Finnish national team record, breaking his own previous best of 43 against Croatia at FIBA EuroBasket 2022.
Top performers: Aside from Markkanen's monster night, Finland got strong contributions from Oliver Nkamhoua, Miro Little and Sasu Salin.
Nkamhoua had 11 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, Little impressed with his playmaking and energy, finishing with 4 points, 8 assists, 3 steals, while captain Sasu Salin chipped in 8 points.
Andy Van Vliet was the top scorer for Belgium with 12 points, while Mamadou Guisse added 10.
Up next: The two teams will meet again in a few days, with the second game set for August 11 in Espoo, Finland.
Finland will host Group B of FIBA EuroBasket 2025 in Tampere, where they'll be joined by Germany, Lithuania, Montenegro, Great Britain, and Sweden.
The tournament tips off on August 27 and runs through September 14, with the final set to take place in Riga, Latvia, where the next European champions will be crowned.
Team | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|
Italy | 2-0 | 100% |
Serbia | 2-0 | 100% |
Lithuania | 2-0 | 100% |
France | 2-0 | 100% |
Finland | 1-0 | 100% |
Germany | 1-0 | 100% |
Greece | 1-0 | 100% |
Estonia | 2-1 | 67% |
Portugal | 1-1 | 50% |
Israel | 1-1 | 50% |
Spain | 1-1 | 50% |
Poland | 1-2 | 33% |
Great Britain | 0-1 | 0% |
Montenegro | 0-1 | 0% |
Slovenia | 0-1 | 0% |
Türkiye | 0-1 | 0% |
Belgium | 0-2 | 0% |
Czechia | 0-2 | 0% |
Georgia | 0-2 | 0% |
Iceland | 0-2 | 0% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0-3 | 0% |
FIBA