Dennis Schroder etched his name in FIBA lore with one of the best closing performances you’ll ever see.

The 31-year-old point guard scored six points in the final minute to lead Germany to its first EuroBasket title since 1993. Germany defeated Turkey 88-83 in the gold medal game held at Riga, Latvia.

The win comes two years after Deutschland — largely with the same core group of players — won the FIBA World Cup title in 2023 in Manila. The rare double of winning the World Cup and European championships boosts Germany into the top tier in FIBA, and it could now lay claim to the title of second-best team in the world behind only the United States.

“We never shy away from the big moments. It’s not just Franz, it’s not just me, it’s the whole team,” said Schroder, who finished the final with 16 points, a game-high 12 assists, and he was named MVP of EuroBasket 2025. Schroder became only the seventh player to win MVP at both EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup. The other six were Sergei Belov, Drazen Dalipagic, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. All six are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The German captain was also named to the all-tournament team, joining teammate Franz Wagner, Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

“To be a World Cup winner and European champ, it’s big time,” said Schroder, who averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 assists for the entire tournament.

Winning EuroBasket elevates Schroder’s profile. His NBA credentials may not be up to par with other established stars like LeBron James or Kevin Durant — he’s now on his ninth NBA team in 12 seasons — but he’s building an impressive FIBA resume.

And his performance down the stretch in the gold medal match against Turkey was one for the ages.

After Shane Larkin put Turkey ahead by one point with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter, Schroder answered seconds later with a lefty layup high off glass over Sengun to give Germany an 84-83 lead. Then with under 24 seconds remaining and the shot clock winding down, Schroder calmly pulled up from free throw line and swished a rainbow jumper over Ercan Osmani to put the Germans up by three with 18.4 seconds left.

Turkey had an opportunity to tie but Sengun’s desperation 3-point heave barely drew iron. Schroder grabbed the rebound and iced the game with two free throws.

Germany joins the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Spain as the only nations to hold both FIBA World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket trophies at the same time.

Turkey reached the final for only the second time in 25 years after dismantling Greece 94-68 in the semifinals. Osmani starred with 18 of his 28 points in the first half alone, and Sengun added 15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Meanwhile, Germany booked their spot in the final after beating Finland 98-86. Schroder led the way with 26 points and 12 assists, with Franz Wagner adding 23 points in the win. Schroder’s 12 assists set a new EuroBasket record in the semifinals. Lauri Markkanen was held to 16 points (2-for-9 from 3-point and 6-for-17 from the field), eight points below his scoring average in the tournament. In two games against Germany, Markkannen was held to 13.5 points and 2-for-14 from behind the arc.

ONE-MAN SHOWS
EuroBasket 2025 produced many outstanding individual performances. From Luka Doncic’s historic scoring games to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s individual brilliance, the best basketball players in the world showed up and showed out in Riga.

Giannis put Greece on his back with a 30-point, 17-rebound performance in the bronze medal match against Finland. Giannis also added six assists, giving him a 20-10-5 stat line for the fourth time in the tournament. No other player has more than three over the last 30 years of EuroBasket.

It was Greece’s first EuroBasket medal since winning bronze in 2009. Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis was on the last Greek team that made the podium in EuroBasket.

Giannis called winning a bronze medal for his country “one of his biggest accomplishments.”

“I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team. This is probably the greatest accomplishment so far in my life,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said.

The Greek Freak scored 37 points, going 18-for-23 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading Greece to an 84-79 win over Israel in the Round of 16. Only one other player on Greece scored in double figures (Kostas Sloukas had 11 points).

Luka Doncic’s one-man show continued in the knockout stage as the L.A. Lakers superstar dropped 42 points on 11-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-11 from 3-point, and had 10 rebounds in carrying Slovenia past Italy 84-77. The 42 points are five points off Doncic’s EuroBasket high mark of 47 against France in 2022.

Slovenia was eliminated by eventual EuroBasket champ Germany in the quarterfinals. In a loss, Doncic dropped 39 points on 11-for-25 shooting from the field and hit five 3-pointers. He also added 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Doncic finished with a tournament-best 34.7 points per game, becoming only the third player to average north of 30 points. Doncic’s 34.7 average is the third-best mark in tournament history. Only Greek legend Nikos Galis had a better tournament scoring average. Galis averaged 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

SHOCKING UPSETS
In the most stunning result of the tournament, gold medal favorite Serbia was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Finland despite 33 points from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The Joker is still searching for that elusive FIBA gold medal, and this is the second straight EuroBasket tournament that Serbia went out in the Round of 16. Serbia lost to Italy in the Round of 16 in 2022, and now they bow out in the same stage in 2025, this time to Finland.

Finland got a team-high 29 points from Lauri Markkanen and timely 3-pointers from Elias Valtonen. The Fins pounded Serbia on the boards to the tune of 45-36 advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds.

Finland started on fire and went up 11-1 and extended the lead to 16-5 midway through the first quarter.

“They played a great game. From the start we didn’t come ready. I just wasn’t ready from the jump,” said Serbia forward Nikola Jovic, who plays for the Miami Heat. “Their 20 offensive rebounds were just unacceptable. We knew what they were doing, we prepared well, we watched film, still they managed to just better and more physical than us.”

The other major upset in the Round of 16 was Georgia beating France 80-70. The Paris Olympics silver medalists led for just four minutes as Georgia, behind the outside shooting of Bayern Munich guard Kamar Baldwin. Baldwin, who played college ball at Butler but went undrafted, picked a perfect timing for his EuroBasket career-high, scoring 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

The most talked about “revenge body” in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal dropped a boatload of weight after he was traded from the L.A. Lakers to the Miami Heat in 2004 will be on full display at EuroBasket 2025.

Armed with a brand new body and brand new three-year, $165 million contract extension with the L.A. Lakers, Luka Doncic will be one of the biggest storylines to watch at the FIBA European championships, co-hosted by Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia. The finals will be held at Riga, Latvia.
Doncic’s body transformation isn’t the only thing different about him. The Lakers superstar is also more assertive, and his Slovenia teammates are taking notice.

“He’s embracing the challenge of being the face of a francise in the NBA and here. His words carry weight,” Slovenia guard Klemen Prepelic told SportKlub about his longtime national team teammate.

“You can already see signs of the new Luka,” Prepelic added. “It’s probably something expected of him by the Lakers as well. He’s the leader now. His voice counts the most.”

Doncic was basically fat-shamed by his former general manager, Dallas Mavericks executive Nico Harrison, when Harrison went on his why-did-you-trade-Luka explanation tour. Harrison said the main reason why the Mavs shipped Luka to L.A. was because of Doncic’s questionable work habits and conditioning.

Doncic used it as motivation as he worked himself into the best shape of his basketball career. The 26-year-old global star shed some serious pounds by committing to an offseason training program and a stricter diet. The end result was a body transformation that nearly broke the internet.
Images with the hashtag “Slim Luka” surfaced all over social media after Men’s Health published photos of an almost unrecognizable Doncic and his newly ripped body. Practically everyone with a TV show and a podcast couldn’t stop talking about it.

Doncic will put his slender body to the test as he leads Slovenia against a stacked tournament field that includes FIBA powerhouses Serbia, France and reigning World Cup champions Germany.

Here are the teams to watch at EuroBasket:

Teams with Star Power but Lack Firepower
SLOVENIA – Luka Doncic was only a teenager when Slovenia stunned the hoops world and won EuroBasket in 2017. But that was eight years ago and Goran Dragic is no longer around to help Luka. Slovenia enters the EuroBasket 2025 with a top-10 rating in the EuroBasket power rankings but the road to the title got tougher after forward Vlatko Cancar, formerly of the Denver Nuggets, withdrew from the competition, leaving the squad extremely thin in the frontcourt. Slovenia will be outmanned and outgunned.

Despite not having the necessary firepower, they have one nuke in the form of Luka Doncic. Any team with Doncic can’t be counted out because the L.A. Lakers superstar is capable of carrying an entire nation on his back.

GREECE – If Luka Doncic is the center of the Slovenian universe, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the solar energy that powers the Greek national squad. The two-time NBA MVP from the Milwaukee Bucks by himself is capable of backpacking Hellas and carry it out of the group stage and into the knockout round. But he won’t be alone in this fight. Giannis will be joined by two of his brothers, Kostas and Thanasis. Giannis plays better when he has family around him.

Tournament Dark Horses
TURKEY – Turkey drew the short end of the stick when it was placed in the same group as Serbia. Despite being in a tough group, Turkey has enough firepower to finish second in the group and qualify for the knockout stage. The head of the Turkish squad is Houston Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun. The 22-year-old big man is coming off a solid NBA season (19 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists) and he’s primed to announce his presence at the FIBA stage. Sengun has plenty of help on the frontcourt. Adem Bona carved out a solid role as a rotational player with the Philadelphia 76ers and he’s coming off a strong showing for the Sixers at the NBA summer league. Cedi Osman, who played six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now playing for Panathinaikos in Greece, and Furkan Korkmaz (played seven seasons with the 76ers) provide Turkey with two outstanding shooters. Shane Larkin — son of baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin — is the team’s starting point and might the most important player. If Larkin has a strong tournament, Turkey could be in the medal round.

ITALY – The Italians are entering the tournament with plenty of momentum, with one of their wins in the friendlies coming against Kristaps Porzingis (Atlanta Hawks) and Latvia. Italy is in Group C with Spain and Greece. Spain isn’t the same basketball power it once was and it’s undergoing a changing of the guard while Greece is beatable if Giannis has a poor outing. Italy’s roster doesn’t have the star power but it has solid NBA-level talent. Simone Fontecchio and Nico Melli lead a balanced Azzurri squad capable of advancing past the group stage and into the knockout round.

Top 3 Teams Competing for the Podium
3. FRANCE – Despite the absence of Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Nic Batum, France remains one of the top contenders because of its incredible talent depth. France will definitely miss Wemby’s game-changing skills, Gobert’s defense and Batum’s leadership, but there is no talent shortage on this year’s EuroBasket squad. Les Bleus fields a talented roster full of current NBA players — Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks), Alex Sarr (Wizards), Guerschon Yabusele (New York Knicks) — and former NBA players like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Theo Maledon. France has so much depth the team cut former New York Knick guard Frank Ntilikina, Moussa Diabate (Hornets) and Ousmane Dieng (OKC Thunder). With Wemby, Gobert and Batum not on the squad, there is a void that could be filled by younger French studs such as Risacher and Sarr to step out of the shadows of their more famous veterans and get their own shine.

2. GERMANY – Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner headline a battle tested German squad that brings back the core group that won gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila. Andreas Obst, one of the best shooters in the German Bundesliga, joins Schroder in the backcourt, giving the Germans a superb 1-2 punch at point guard and shooting guard. Steady 3-and-D wing Isaac Bonga and NBA veteran center Daniel Theis round out the core unit that won the FIBA World Cup. Leading scorer Franz Wagner will be tasked with a bigger role, especially with his brother Mo Wagner sidelined as he’s recovering from a torn ACL. Tristan da Silva, Franz’s teammate with the Orlando Magic, might be an X factor and could be part of the finishing lineup. The pressure is on first-year coach Alex Mumbru to maintain the momentum built up over the last two years.

1. SERBIA – With a stacked roster that includes three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, the Serbians (rated No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings) are the heavy favorites to reach the final in Riga and hoist the EuroBasket trophy.

The Serbians have very little weaknesses and they are simply too good and too big to fail. They have a surplus of size and length, from guards to forwards to centers. Head coach Svetislav Pesic has a plethora of shooters like Bogdan Bogdanovic (L.A. Clippers), Aleksa Avramovic (Dubai), and Marko Guduric (Olimpia Milano).

Serbia has great size up front with 6-10 Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat), 6-11 Tristan Vukcevic (Washington Wizards), 6-11 Filip Petrusev, 7-0 Nikola Milutinov. And they have The Joker, the best center in the world.

Serbia will compete against host nation Latvia, Turkey, Estonia, Portugal and Czechia in Group A. Serbia should advance to the knockout round as Group A winner, and should be one of the finalists in Latvia.

Jokic led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the Denver Nuggets superstar has never won a gold medal for his country in FIBA competition. Winning EuroBasket would be a tremendous accomplishment for The Joker, and this unit might be the best Serbian team Jokic has ever been a part of in his international career. This is the year when Jokic breaks through and finally captures that elusive gold medal for Serbia.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel at @onemanfastbreak1.

Dennis Schroder came through in the clutch to lead Germany over Serbia in the gold medal game at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines.

Schroder, who had a game-high 28 points in the championship game, was spectacular throughout the tournament, averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 assists en route to winning the FIBA World Cup MVP. The Toronto Raptors point guard headlined a star-studded all-World Cup squad, which included Bogdan Bogdanovic of Serbia, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, Anthony Edwards from the United States, and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

Bogdanovic did all he could to push Serbia across the finish line, averaging 19.1 points and shooting 42% from 3-point range. The two-time FIBA World Cup silver medalists could have used reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, who skipped this year’s World Cup after a taxing NBA season.

Behind Schroder’s steady hand at the point, the Germans passed every test in the tournament as they went undefeated en route to their first World Cup gold medal, besting the bronze medal in 2002 with Dirk Nowitzki as their leading man.

Schroder had plenty of support from a well-constructed roster headed by coach Gordon Herbert. Center Daniel Theis, shooting guard Andreas Obst, and the Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz Wagner, all played a major role in helping Deutschland reach the top of the podium. Franz Wagner, who made the all-tournament second team, was huge in the gold medal game against Serbia, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Here are four observations from an incredible two weeks in Manila, Jakarta, and Okinawa.

Steve Kerr makes tactical mistake against Canada

Steve Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. It would be hard to question anything he does. But during the bronze medal game against Canada, Kerr decided to use a small-ball unit in the final five minutes and overtime. Kerr took out 6-10 Bobby Portis in favor of guard Josh Hart, who is generously listed at 6-5. Kerr rolled out a finishing lineup of Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Austin Reaves, Mikal Bridges, and Hart playing center. Bridges was the tallest man on the court for Team USA at 6-6. After Hart fouled in overtime, Kerr went with an ever smaller lineup by inserting 6-0 guard Jalen Brunson.

Playing small ball is a tactic Kerr often uses with the Warriors, with Hart playing the role of Draymond Green as the small-ball 5. However, Josh Hart is no Draymond Green.

The decision proved to be costly as the Americans got punished on the boards by the more physical Canadians. Dwight Powell (6-10, 240), Dillon Brooks (6-6, 225), Lugentz Dort (6-3, 215), RJ Barrett (6-6, 215), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6-6, 180) were too much to handle as the Canadians dominated the offensive boards and got to several crucial loose balls down the stretch. Behind the superb playmaking of Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points) and improbable 3-point shooting from Brooks (39 points), Canada outlasted the U.S. in overtime, 127-118, to secure its first ever FIBA World Cup medal.

In Kerr’s defense, he didn’t have a lot of options at center. Starting center Jaren Jackson Jr. and his backup Paolo Banchero were both out with an illness. Walker Kessler (7-1, 245) was the last remaining big man on the roster, and he could only muster six points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

It’s back to the drawing board for Kerr and USA Basketball director Grant Hill after another disappointing World Cup. Team USA has failed to bring home a medal in the last two World Cups, finishing seventh in 2019 and fourth in 2023. Kerr and Hill have a year to retool the roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

USA Basketball definitely needs reinforcements

Team USA came into the World Cup with a roster short on senior international experience and short on big men. Those glaring weaknesses showed up in the meaningful rounds as the Americans lost three of their last four games. The U.S. defense, which had been solid in the showcase games and the first group stage, was shredded for 350 points (116.67 points per game) in losses to Lithuania, Germany, and Canada.

Steve Kerr and his coaching staff, which included Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and L.A. Clippers coach Ty Lue and Gonzaga coach Mark Few, had about a month to fully prepare and get the players familiar with the system. And it showed. The game plan was simple: wear down teams with depth and push the pace to create scoring opportunities. The plan worked against the lesser teams but against experienced squads with NBA-caliber talent, the all-too-simple formula got exposed.

Because the U.S. couldn’t create enough ball pressure against Germany and Canada, it left the team exposed on the back end. Starting U.S. center Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled staying on the court, averaging almost just as many fouls per game (2.7) as rebounds (2.9). The lack of rebounding from Jackson Jr. summed up Team USA’s troubles on defense. During the weighty moments in the semifinals and bronze medal game, the U.S. couldn’t get enough stops.

The quick fix would be to bring in the A Team. Kerr and Hill could convince Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant to rejoin Team USA. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have also expressed interest in rejoining the program in time for the Paris Olympics. Draymond and AD will certainly help fix the problems on defense.

NBA teams should look at Aleksa Avramovic, Andreas Obst, Arturs Zagars

After making the all-tournament second team, Latvia’s Arturs Zagars is reportedly generating interest from NBA teams. The 23-year-old point guard led Latvia to a fifth-place finish in the nation’s first World Cup appearance and set a tournament record 17 assists in Latvia’s game against Lithuania. Zagars, who averaged 12.4 points and 7.4 assists in 25 minutes a game, has played professionally in Europe since 2017, but injuries have derailed his career. After showing he can compete against the best in FIBA, he should be given a shot in the NBA.

Germany’s Andreas Obst is an absolute sniper. He delivered the dagger 3-point shot that sunk the U.S. in the semifinals and propelled Germany to the finals. The 27-year-old Obst, who currently competes in the Bundesliga and EuroLeague for Bayern Munich, is regarded as one of the best shooters in Europe. He certainly didn’t disappoint at the World Cup, making 44.7% of his 3-point shots. Any NBA team would love to have a shooting guard who makes nearly 45% of his 3-balls.

Serbia leaned on Atlanta Hawks standout Bogdan Bogdanovic for much of the tournament, but the team would have not have reached the finals without Aleksa Avramovic. Avramovic’s physical defense played a role in holding Okahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to just 15 points and 4-of-8 shooting from the field in Serbia’s win over Canada in the semifinals. In the finals against Germany, it was Avramovic’s offense that kept the Serbians in the game as he finished with a team-high 21 points, including 3-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Avramovic, who plays professionally in Europe for Partizan Mozzart Bet, may not be viewed as an NBA starting guard, but he could potentially be a solid rotational player.

Basketball-crazed Filipinos embrace NBA stars

The FIBA World Cup games were held at three venues: Okinawa, Jakarta, and Manila.

With all due respect to the fans who attended games in Jakarta and Okinawa, the vibe from the games held at Philippine Arena, Araneta Coliseum, and Mall of Asia Arena was different. You could feel the passion and the love that Filipinos have for the game of basketball.

A record crowd of 38,115 filled Philippine Arena for the Aug. 25 opener between host nation Philippines and the Dominican Republic – easily the biggest crowd to see a World Cup game. The previous attendance record was 32,616, set in 1994 at SkyDome in Toronto.

Team USA played all their games at Mall of Asia Arena. The coaches and players were given the rock star treatment. The Americans were showered with adoration, especially fan favorite Austin Reaves. The L.A. Lakers guard generated the loudest cheers each time he made a play. “It’s special to me,” Reaves told BasketNews. “I knew coming out here, there’s a lot of Lakers fans which is lovely, and I love that, and I appreciate that.”

Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson represented his mother’s native country at the World Cup. After four tough losses in group stage, Clarkson gifted Filipino fans with an unforgettable performance for Gilas Pilipinas in a 96-75 win over China. The Utah Jazz guard exploded for 34 points, including a 24-point outburst in the third quarter where he splashed four straight 3-pointers that had the whole arena shaking. Clarkson credited the energy from the raucous crowd at the famed Araneta Coliseum — site of “The Thrilla in Manila” in 1975 — for boosting him and his Gilas teammates.

“When you start hearing that, as loud as it was, it’s kind of hard to calm me down at that time,” Clarkson told reporters. “I stayed hot. The crowd was just amazing. There was so much energy in there and we just really wanted to gift them with a win.”

Italy, Poland, and Germany pulled off three massive shockers in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022, ending the phenomenal tournament runs of arguably the three best players in the world.

All-NBA first-teamers Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up impressive games throughout EuroBasket 2022, but their individual greatness were not enough to carry their nations to the finish line.

Poland, which doesn’t have a single current NBA player on its roster, upset defending EuroBasket champion Slovenia, 90-87, in the quarterfinals. Slovenia tried to make a late push but the comeback attempt fell short when Doncic fouled out with 3:02 left in the fourth quarter. The Dallas Mavericks All-Star point guard finished with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

Doncic needed an injection to get through the game and has been dealing with injuries throughout the tournament. But he told the Associated Press that injuries wasn’t the reason for his subpar game. “I played terrible,” Doncic said. “I let my team down. I let the whole country who was supporting us down. I’ve got to look at this game and be better.”

Poland built a 23-point lead in the second quarter and led 58-39 at halftime. Slovenia made a big push in the third quarter to get to within one point. But Poland regained control and outscored Slovenia 21-7 during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.

Italy’s big stunner came at the start of the knockout stage when it eliminated top-seeded Serbia — led by two-time NBA MVP Jokic — in the round of 16. Italy defeated Serbia 94-86 despite a 32-point, 13-rebound game from Jokic. The Italians also pulled off the upset without their head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, who was ejected in the third quarter and went out in style with one of the more spirited exits you will ever see.

Serbia took an 11-point lead in the first quarter and pushed it to 14 points in the second quarter. But Italy came storming back and trimmed it to 61-57 with under 5 minutes left in the third quarter when Pozzecco left the court in tears after being ejected from the game with a second technical foul. The ejection ignited the Italians as they opened the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run to take an 82-70 lead and Serbia were unable to regain the momentum.

Italy’s miracle tournament run ended in the quarterfinals, losing to France 93-85. Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert led the way for France as he put up 19 points and 14 rebounds.

The Greek Freak’s time in EuroBasket ended in the quarterfinals. Greece fell to Germany 107-96 in Berlin. Antetokounmpo was ejected in the fourth quarter after being assessed with two unsportsmanlike fouls. The second unsportsmanlike foul occurred with just under five minutes remaining and Greece trailing by 14 points. The two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA champion hit Germany’s Daniel Theis (Boston Celtics) in the face as he wildly attempted to swipe a rebound. Giannis finished with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes. Former L.A. Lakers guard Dennis Schroder led Germany with 26 points and eight assists.

There were some interesting matchups throughout pool competition.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas and Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis led Lithuania to an 87-70 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was anchored by Jusuf Nurkic (Portland Trail Blazers). But the best pool-play matchup was between France and Slovenia. Doncic put on a show as he lifted Slovenia to an 88-82 over a stacked French national team, which featured three-time NBA defensive player of the year Gobert and New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier. Doncic dropped in 47 points, had seven rebounds and five assists. It was the most points scored in a single EuroBasket game in the last 65 years and the second-highest scoring game in the event’s history.

Serbia dominated its competition in Group D, which included some lightweights in the form of the Czech Republic, Finland, Israel, Netherlands, and Poland. Serbia went 5-0 and was barely tested in each pool play game winning by an average margin of 21 points. Jokic was his usual dominant self, averaging 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in just 24 minutes per game.

Spain was the lone pool-play winner that advanced to the semifinals. The Spaniards defeated Finland 100-90 in the quarterfinals. Spain, ranked No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings, is loaded with international veterans, including Juancho Hernangomez (Toronto Raptors), Willy Hernangomez (New Orleans Pelicans), Rudy Fernandez (Real Madrid).

Newly acquired Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen paced Finland with a game-high 28 points. The 7-foot forward also grabbed 11 rebounds and had two steals. Willy Hernangomez led the way for Spain with 27 points shooting 10-of-13 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Juancho Hernangomez saved his best performance in the gold medal game as his 27 points powered Spain past France 88-76. Juancho’s brother, Willy, was named EuroBasket MVP.

Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis spent half the 2021 season in street clothes. (Getty Images)

When Anthony Davis limped off the court with 6:35 left in the first quarter of Game 6 in the L.A.-Phoenix playoff series, the Lakers’ reign as NBA champions came to an end.

Without Davis, the Lakers were unable to generate enough offense to keep up with the Suns and eventually ran out of gas. It was the quickest postseason exit by a defending NBA champ since 2015 when the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated by the L.A. Clippers in the first round. The Lakers’ elimination means the NBA Finals won’t have LeBron James for only the second time in a decade and there’s going to be a new champion crowned.

The Brooklyn Nets are now the overwhelming favorites to win the 2021 NBA championship as their odds are currently listed at +170, according to Sports Betting Dime. The Utah Jazz, the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, has the next-best odds at +320. Brooklyn has one of the most potent offenses in the league — averaging 118.6 points per game — and any one of its superstars, whether it’s Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden, is more than capable of dropping 50 points in a game.

It was an incredibly taxing season for the Lakers as they had less than months to prepare after a long stint in the Orlando bubble. The 2020 NBA Finals ended in October and the 2021 season started in late December, giving the Lakers and the Miami Heat — the two finalists in the bubble — just 71 days to recover in the middle of a global pandemic. It’s the shortest offseason in league history.

“From the moment we entered the bubble to today it’s been draining. Mentally, spiritually, emotionally draining,” James told reporters after the Lakers were eliminated in the first round.

“Every team has to deal with it, obviously, but with us and Miami going long-haul in the bubble and coming back on short notice, it’s been very draining,” James added.

Three of the last four teams in the bubble are out of the 2021 playoffs. The Lakers fell in six games, the Boston Celtics lost to the Nets in five games, and the Heat was swept by the Bucks. Denver was the lone team that made a deep run in the bubble to escape the first round, but the Nuggets lost point guard Jamal Murray to an ACL injury for the rest of the season.

The quick turnaround was compounded by a myriad of injuries to L.A.’s two superstars. The injury-prone Davis played in 36 of the 72-game schedule, missing a month due to a calf injury. LeBron also missed 27 games because of a sprained ankle, which clearly bothered him in the playoffs. The Lakers were 21-7 when Davis and James were both healthy. After Davis injured his calf on Feb. 14 against Denver, the Lakers began sliding down the standings and fell all the way down to the seventh seed at the end of the regular season.

“I think health played a big part in the position we were in,” Davis said. “Me missing 30 games, Bron missing an extensive amount of games; we just weren’t healthy. We were very healthy last year, it just wasn’t the same this year. And we couldn’t have our full product on the floor.”

When Davis was on the court, the Lakers led the Phoenix series 2-1. Davis dominated the Suns in games 2 and 3 (both Laker wins), and L.A. appeared headed for the second round. But Davis hurt his groin in the first half of Game 4 and couldn’t finish the game. He missed Game 5 (a Suns blowout) and tried to give it a go in Game 6 but lasted just five minutes.

AD went back to the locker room after going down. pic.twitter.com/Z3POnG4Qws

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 4, 2021

“The one thing that bothers me more than anything is we never got an opportunity to see our full team,” James said. “We could never fully get into a rhythm, we could never see the full potential of what we were capable of.”

After the Lakers signed center Andre Drummond in March following a buyout by the Cleveland Cavaliers, L.A. thought it added the final piece to another championship contender. But the vaunted lineup of Drummond, Davis, James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Dennis Schroder was on the court for just six games, including the playoffs. They didn’t have enough time to gain chemistry.

The Lakers enter the offseason with a ton of uncertainty. Davis, LeBron, Kyle Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, and Marc Gasol are the only players under contract for the 2021-22 season. The team’s big free-agent acquisitions (Schroder, Drummond, Montrezl Harrell) are all unrestricted free agents and are likely not going to take less money to stay in L.A. Cap space will also be a problem. The Lakers are already near the $109 million salary cap and won’t have much flexibility when the free agency period begins.

Schroder had an eventful season with the Lakers. He turned down an $84-million contract extension, but didn’t quite improve his stock. He averaged 15.4 points during the regular season, which was three points below what he averaged in Oklahoma City, and struggled in the Phoenix series on both ends of the court. He averaged 14.3 points, shot 40 percent from the field, got lit up by Devin Booker in the series clincher, and drew the ire of Lakers legend Magic Johnson.

“I don’t think he’s a Laker,” Johnson told AM 570 L.A. Sports. “I don’t think he brings the winning mentality and attitude we need.”

A lot was expected of Schroder, a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year before he signed with the Lakers. But he far from the only disappointment.

Harrell, the player who beat out Schroder for the 2020 Sixth Man award, had a season he’d like to forget. Harrell couldn’t find a consistent role during the regular season, and his playing time took an even greater hit when the Lakers acquired Drummond. Drummond was immediately inserted as the starter at center, pushing Gasol and Harrell deeper in head coach Frank Vogel’s rotation.

Vogel struggled to find continuity with his three centers, and Harrell suffered the most in the playoffs as he was reduced to 39 minutes in the Phoenix series. Harrell could exercise his player option and come back for another season, but the relationship may be permanently damaged.