'Baby Jokic' makes a statement against the real Jokic

One of the best matchups in recent EuroBasket history took place on Wednesday, as Alperen Sengun and Türkiye got the best of Nikola Jokic and Serbia.

In a matchup that decided who would win Group A of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025, Turkey emerged victorious in a 95-90 thriller.

Houston Rockets star Sengun nearly missed out on a triple-double, putting up a loaded stat line of 28 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range.

The three-point shooting is a welcome addition to his overall game, as Sengun has only averaged 0.4 made threes on 1.3 attempts per game in his four-year NBA career.

It's already a tough task trying to defend him and his all-around game, as he also has shown that he can thrive in big lineups, but worrying about defending him from beyond the arc will just add to that level of difficulty.

"Well, they just left me open. So (I could shoot) confidently," Sengun said. "You know… We had to make the open shots, too, otherwise we wouldn't have had any chances against this Serbia team. So they left me open, and I shot with confidence."

On the losing side in the game, Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals on 10-of-18 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range.

The game had eight ties and 15 lead changes, and both teams led for a similar amount of time (Türkiye 19:15, Serbia 17:23).

Jokic gave Serbia a 90-89 lead with a minute left, and then it was Sengun's turn, as he went straight at Jokic and drew a foul, sinking both free throws to put Türkiye back on top 91-90.

A couple more missed shots by Serbia led to more free throws for the Turkish team to seal the deal.