For Jokic, the loss means his wait for a EuroBasket medal goes on. Lauri Markkanen led the way for Finland with 29 points, though it was Elias Valtonen who stole the spotlight late on, scoring eight straight clutch points in the fourth quarter.
Jokic poured in 33 points on an efficient 9-for-13 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, but even with help from Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, who chipped in 20, Serbia couldn’t avoid another early exit.
The win was historic for Finland, marking their first ever EuroBasket victory over Serbia. Previously, they had lost by 13 in 2015 and by 30 in 2022. It also sends Finland to the quarterfinals for the second tournament in a row.
Finland came out flying, opening the game on an 11-1 run after Mikael Jantunen drained back-to-back threes. Serbia responded in the second quarter, outscoring Finland 24-16 despite Markkanen’s strong first half. The game stayed close in the third, with Finland clinging to a 68-66 lead heading into the fourth.
From there, the Finns stayed composed. Valtonen’s late scoring burst and Markkanen’s cool free throws sealed the upset, setting up a quarterfinal clash with the winner of France vs. Georgia.