Turkey and Serbia, both unbeaten so far, clash in EuroBasket for the top spot in their group. While both teams have already secured qualification, a win here grants a crucial advantage moving forward. On one side, Ataman’s Turkey with the impressive Sengun; on the other, Pesic’s Serbia led by Jokic — a matchup promising intensity and high-level basketball.
Turkey:
Turkey continues to impress, with four wins in as many games, securing both a place in the next round and a top-two finish in the group. Today, they face Serbia for first place. Ergin Ataman’s squad dismantled Estonia 84–64, essentially sealing the win in the first quarter. Once again, Alperen Sengun was the standout with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Ercan Osmani added a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), while Adem Bona (12 points) and Cedi Osman (11 points) also scored in double figures.
Coach Ataman, speaking about the clash with Serbia, commented: “Let Serbia win today, and we’ll beat them in the final when we meet again.” Asked if he had a plan to stop Jokic, he joked: “No, I have no solution. Let him score 50 points — as long as we win.”
The group winner will face the fourth-placed team of Group B (likely Montenegro), while the runner-up will most probably meet Finland.
Serbia:
Serbia also sits at 4–0 after defeating the Czech Republic, and now faces Turkey in a direct battle for first place. The Serbians are already through and cannot finish lower than second. A win puts them top (and likely against Montenegro), while a loss leaves them second (and most likely against Finland). Against the Czechs, Serbia dominated right from the start with a 27–5 opening quarter. Coach Svetislav Pesic used the chance to rest Nikola Jokic (6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists in 18 minutes) and experiment with lineups.
There is, however, a concern with Vasilije Micic, who suffered a rib injury. Although tests came back clean, he is unlikely to play today. Bogdan Bogdanovic is already ruled out of EuroBasket, with Pesic acknowledging: “It’s normal for all teams to face injuries. Bogdanovic was very important for us, but we can’t change much in our style of play.”
Source: Foxbet.gr