Greece, Turkiye battle for spot in EuroBasket 2025 Finals

Greece squares off with Turkiye in a highly anticipated semifinal showdown in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Saturday, September 13.

Match is at 2 a.m. (Philippine time)

Both nations are chasing history, with the former looking to end a two-decade title drought and the latter aiming to make the most of its first semis appearance since 2001.

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The Greeks punched their ticket to the Final Four after outlasting Lithuania in a nail-biting 87-86 victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo proved unstoppable, dropping 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while also contributing six rebounds and four steals.

The former NBA Most Valuable player’s dominance has reignited Greece's hopes of finally reclaiming the EuroBasket crown, which it last won in 2005.

This semifinal also marks the country's first appearance in this stage of the tournament since 2009, when it went on to bag the bronze medal.

Turkiye, meanwhile, stormed into the Final Four by dismantling Poland, 91-77.

The spotlight shone on Alperen Sengün, the Houston Rockets rising star, who delivered a historic performance with his 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

He thus became the youngest player in EuroBasket history to record a triple-double at just 23.

The Turks are riding that momentum into their first semifinal since 2001, when they last made a deep run on the continental stage.

With Antetokounmpo’s star power clashing against Sengün’s all-around brilliance, the matchup promises high-intensity basketball and plenty of drama.

For Greece, it is about fulfilling the championship aspirations of a golden generation; for Turkiye, it’s a shot at rewriting history and reigniting national pride.

(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)

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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]