After the semifinal clash at Riga Arena in Latvia between Greece and Turkey, we got the second EuroBasket 2025 finalist. The victory went to Turkey with a 94–68 win.
Their opponent in the final will be Germany, who defeated Finland just a few hours ago, 98–86.
This marks the first time in history that Turkey will play in the final of a major tournament without being the host. Their two biggest previous achievements were the EuroBasket 2001 final in Istanbul, where they lost to Yugoslavia, and the silver medal at the 2010 FIBA World Cup, also in Istanbul, where they fell to the USA in the final.
Ercan Osmani made a noticeable impact on both ends of the court, and with the help of Cedi Osman, Turkey opened up a 7–0 lead. The first points for Greece came from Tyler Dorsey with a three-pointer, but Osmani responded immediately, scoring eight of Turkey’s first twelve points to make it 12–3. After five minutes, the only points for Greece came from Dorsey, who hit two more threes.
GIANNIS PUT EVERYBODY ON A POSTER 😫#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/M39IW9EmDB
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 12, 2025
Just when it seemed Greece was finding a rhythm, Ercan Osmani hit another three-pointer. The team’s most experienced players, Vassilis Spanoulis, Kostas Sloukas, and Papanikolaou, were careless with turnovers, allowing Turkey to extend the lead to 19–10.
Osmani played a first quarter for the basketball textbooks on both ends of the floor, hitting a new three-pointer to reach 14 points (4/4 at that moment), pushing the lead to 22–10. Kostas Antetokounmpo contributed with two blocks and points to halt the Turkey run, but Shane Larkin closed out the first quarter with a mid-range shot, leaving the score at 26–16.
ERCAN OSMANI IS A WALKING FIRE RIGHT NOW.#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/6eMNvkWGMm
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 12, 2025
Greece managed to cut the deficit to 26–20 with a somewhat unusual lineup, as neither Giannis Antetokounmpo nor Kostas Sloukas were on the floor. Points came from Panagiotis Kalaitzakis and Alexandros Samodurov. Turkey relied on strong defense to maintain their lead. The Greeks did a great job defending Alperen Sengun, who was just 0/8 from the field and scored only one point from free throws, but despite that, they were still down 27–20. After another turnover, Hazer dunked for 29–20, forcing Vassilis Spanoulis to call a timeout.
ALPEREN SENGUN RISE UP. 🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 12, 2025
(via @EuroBasket)
pic.twitter.com/AKY9YCy4li
The break did little to help, as Greece continued making mistakes on each possession. Sengun threw down a powerful dunk to make it 31–20. After just 14 minutes, Greece had already committed nine turnovers, reflecting the chaos on the floor. At that point, their top scorer was Kalaitzakis, which showed the struggles of the rest of the team.
Meanwhile, Sengun and Ercan Osmani were dominating the paint, extending Turkey’s lead to 35–24. They pushed the run to 8–0 with more contributions from Osmani and Sengun, and when Osmani hit a three-pointer for a 43–24 score and an 11–0 run, Spanoulis was forced to call another timeout. Sengun was unstoppable, and every time Greece doubled him, he delivered timely assists. The Greek offense completely fell apart, and by halftime, they were trailing 49–31, at one point down by 20 points.
TURKIYE ARE ROLLING 🇹🇷#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/gljcWDLGHn
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 12, 2025
The collapse of Greece continued in the second half. Even though Kostas Sloukas knocked down his first three-pointer, Ercan Osmani and Alperen Sengun, with help from Shane Larkin, sparked an 8–3 run to push the lead to 57–34. Riding the confidence built in the first half, Turkey kept grinding down Greece, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had no answers against their defense, even committing an offensive foul on the next possession.
As time went on, the Greeks grew increasingly frustrated. Kostas Papanikolaou was hit with a technical foul for arguing, and Larkin extended the margin to a shocking 25 points. Soon after, Kostas Antetokounmpo committed an unsportsmanlike foul, and when Turkey capitalized with more points, any doubts were erased. Heading into the fourth quarter, the scoreboard at Riga Arena read 72–51.
*12 Dev Adam 🇹🇷 plays in the arena*
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 12, 2025
🎤 Alperen Sengun: #EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/hApq8rPNgr
By the end of the game, there was no doubt about who would book a spot in the final, as Turkey simply finished the job they had started. Their opponent in the championship game will be the reigning World Champion, Germany, while Greece will have to chase a medal in the third-place battle against Finland. Both games are set for Sunday, officially bringing EuroBasket 2025 to a close.
Where else will you see PASSION like this? 🇹🇷#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/p6RA1XRvqS
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 12, 2025
Claim Now The standout performers for Turkey were the impressive Ercan Osmani, who scored 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, Alperen Sengun with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Shane Larkin added 14 points and Cedi Osman chipped in 17.
For Greece, Kostas Sloukas led the way with 15 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the game with 12 points, and 12 rebounds but had little to no impact on the outcome, as Ergin Ataman’s players kept him under control.
GREECE – TURKEY 68:94 (16:26, 15:23, 20:23, 17:22)
Venue: Arena Riga, Latvia
Referees: KALLIO, Matthew Leigh, ZURAPOVIC, Ademir (BIH), VAZQUEZ, Jorge
Greece: Dorsey 9, Larentzakis 3, Toliopoulos, Sloukas 15, Kalaitzakis 11, Papanikolaou 2, Katsivelis, Samodurov 3, G. Antetokounmpo 12, K. Antetokounmpo 6, T. Antetokounmpo 4, Mitoglou 3
Turkey: Larkin 14, Hazer 7, Sanli, Osman 17, Bitim 6, Korkmaz 7, Sengun 15, Osmani 28, Bona, Yilmaz, Sipahi, Yurtseven
More EuroBasket picks:
EuroBasket 2025 – Rosters of all national teams
EuroBasket 2025, starting on August 27, will be the central topic of discussion in the coming period, alongside basketball transfers in Europe and worldwide.
National team gatherings across the Old Continent have already begun, and coaches have announced extended player lists, with only 12 players from each team set to secure their plane tickets for EuroBasket 2025.
EuroBasket 2025 will be hosted by four countries – Cyprus, Poland, Finland, and Latvia.
The final phase of the competition, meaning all national team matches after the group stage, will be played in Latvia, specifically in Riga, with the final scheduled for September 14.
Only one of the four books I cover for Greece lets a single bet clear its welcome bonus. The other three count accumulators and nothing else, and I name all four on my Greece betting sites page.
