Finland lost today in rough fashion 91-61 to Germany who finished perfect in Group B play in Eurobasket. This doesn’t mean that Finland is eliminated; they have already secured a spot in the Round of 16 in Riga. However, it has to sting to be throttled by this much.
Germany was led by a dominant performance from Franz Wagner, who had 23 points in 20 minutes on 7/13 shooting. Dennis Schroder was also fantastic for Germany with 16 points on 7/13 shooting with 9 assists.
For Finland, it was a different
story. Lauri Markkanen, the focal point of the Finland offense, was just 4/15 from the field and 0/5 from three. It’s a little reminiscent of last season for the Jazz. Markkanen would have nights where he looked incredible but it was the consistency that was the issue. Without putting up the big numbers each night, it’s hard to see him taking a team too far in the tournament, or in the NBA if he’s the lead guy.
That said, there’s still the Round of 16, and Markkanen may find his form again, which could possibly lead Finland to glory. We’ll see if he’s able to do that in a few days.
