Inside The Rockets

Rockets' Alperen Segun Helps Turkey Advance to FIBA EuroBasket Finals

Sengun and Turkey stay undefeated, beating Greece on the way to the EuroBasket tournament finals.
Alec Elijah|
Nov 10, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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In a thriller of a semi-final matchup between Turkey and Greece in the EuroBasket tournament, it was Houston Rockets' center Alperen Sengun and the Turkish squad securing a win on Friday to earn a spot in the tournament finals.

As expected, the main story when this game began was the matchup between Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Rockets' young center Sengun.

Alperen Sengun (28)
Feb 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) attempts to drive with the ball around Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It is safe to say the 23-year-old center held his own against the former two-time NBA MVP.

The Turkish head coach Ergin Ataman drew up a game plan to not only lock Antetokounmpo's offense up, but he would also put the ball in Sengun's hands on offense, becoming the maestro for his team's scoring.

The NBA star would be held to just four points and have three turnovers in the first half, allowing Turkey to jump to an almost 20-point lead.

Sengun and his squad kept their foot on the pedal as they entered the second half, stretching the lead to almost 30 points in the third quarter.

Turkey did not let up their lead, finishing the game with a 94-68 win. Ercan Osmani finished as the game's top scorer, tallying 28 points, leading Turkey in scoring.

Sengun also added 15 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals, doing just a bit of everything for his team. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo finished the game with just 12 points.

It was fitting that Turkey came out with a win, because it now aligns both of the tournaments' undefeated teams, as Germany has also gone a perfect 8-0 en route to the championship game.

Led by NBA guard Dennis Schroeder, Germany defeated Finland 98-86 to earn its place in the EuroBasket final.

Both teams faced off in mid-August, playing a friendly matchup at the DBB Supercup. The game came down to the wire, but Germany came out with a two-point win, 73-71.

The tournament's championship game will be on Sunday, with the winner set to become just the second undefeated EuroBasket champion in the last nine tournaments, joining Slovenia in 2017.

Already having beaten both Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo in this year's FIBA tournament, a championship may be the icing on the cake for Alperen Sengun as he gears up for the 2025-26 NBA season.

Sengun took to X to express his emotions, saying, "For this jersey, for this country, for this nation!
Today on the court, we didn't just play basketball, we put our hearts into it! Now the goal: The championship!"

It is likely the 23-year-old wins the FIBA MVP, as he now has averages of 20.8 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and 1.1 steals.

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Alec Elijah
ALEC ELIJAH

Alec Elijah is a San Jose State University graduate, as well as a credentialed NCAA & NFL reporter. He contributes to On SI for the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma State Cowboys. Outside of On SI, Alec hosts a College Football/NFL Draft centered podcast.

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