Shin Jing sets record, Pojin scores 34 points, Germany reverses and advances to the quarterfinals

On September 7, the 2025 Men's Basketball European Cup knockout round officially kicked off. As the group stage is settled, the head-on conversation between traditional European powers and emerging forces has entered a more tragic knockout stage. Today, they took the lead in three 16-to-8 matches. Türkiye, Lithuania and Germany defeated their respective opponents one after another and took the lead in locking in the quarterfinals. The fans not only witnessed Shin Kyung's full domination, Porzingis's all-out efforts, and the German team's crazy waves in the final quarter, but also felt the cruelty and passion of the European basketball knockout match.

Shenjing 24+16+6, Türkiye reversed and advanced to the quarterfinals

in the first game, the Turkish team defeated Sweden 85-79, completing the perfect transformation from behind to reverse. At the beginning of the game, Türkiye seems to have not yet fully entered the tension of the knockout round. The Swedish team quickly took advantage of the outside accurate three-pointers and quick counterattack. At the end of the half, Türkiye scored only 37 points, and the offensive end was scattered and inefficient, which seemed that they might have a bad time.

entered the second half and the game changed suddenly. In the third quarter, Türkiye launched a 13-2 attack wave under the leadership of center Shin Kyung, instantly smoothing the score difference and completing the overtake. Shin Kyung not only scored frequently with his steps and confrontation at the basket, but also used his signature self-shot and self-tip and tip-off to continuously ignite morale. On the defensive end, his basket protection and assisting defense also put huge pressure on Sweden. In the final quarter, Shin Jing showed his "team brain" side, and his assists made his teammates succeed frequently. At the last moment of the game, he first sent out a key block, and then completed a dunk in the fast break, completely killing the suspense of the game. In the whole game, Shen Jing contributed 24 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks, becoming the biggest contributor to Türkiye's victory. It is worth mentioning that he has also become the second player in the past 30 years to score at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a single game in the European Cup. The last player to accomplish this feat was Polish core Ponetka scored 26 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists against Slovenia in 2022. This performance once again confirms that Shin Kyung is not only the core of Türkiye's inside line, but also the representative of the new generation of all-round centers in Europe.

teammate Osman scored 17 points, Osmani contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds. On the Sweden side, although Hakansson and Larsson worked together to score 31 points, they seemed a little powerless under Shin Kyung's offensive and defensive rule. With this victory, Türkiye advanced to the quarterfinals with its head held high, and Shin Kyung was also considered by the outside world to be a strong contender for the MVP of this event.

Porzingis scored 34+19, and Lithuania steadily defeated Latvia

If Turkey's victory was a reversal, then the battle between Lithuania and Latvia was more like a head-on "Eastern European Civil War". In the end, Lithuania relied on its stable team performance and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 88-79 win. As soon as the game started, Lithuania opened fire with all its firepower, and the inside and outside lines blossomed at multiple points, and soon scored a 14-6 start. After halftime, they were already ahead of their opponents 47-37. Faced with backwardness, Latvia can only rely on Porzingis' personal ability to support it. The NBA superstar played for 33 minutes in the game and had almost no rest. He made 10 goals in 22 shots, including 4 of 8 three-pointers and 10 of them 15 free throws, scoring the game's highest 34 points and 19 rebounds, almost dragging the team forward with his own strength. In addition to continuous scoring on the offensive end, Porzingis also sent two blocks and one steal, and tried his best on both ends of the offense and defense.

Lithuania demonstrated its strong overall strength. They did not panic in the final quarter, but instead secured the victory with free throws through steady transmission and frequent fouls. Welicica's performance in this game was eye-catching, scoring 21 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists, which was the team's offensive engine; Tuberis contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Sylvedis scored 18 points and 7 rebounds, and the combination of inside and outside played very reasonably. In contrast, except for Porzingis and Ramaz (21 points and 7 assists), Latvia has limited contributions on the offensive end. In the end, Latvia failed to perform a miracle and had to regretfully stop in the top 16. For Porzingis, this game was a battle of all the bullets, but basketball is a team sport after all. No matter how outstanding it is, it is difficult to resist an overall strong team like Lithuania.

Germany went wild in the final quarter, and the last game of Portugal 33-7 in a single quarter was a dramatic showdown. The German men's basketball team beat Portugal 85-58 and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals. However, behind this big victory, I actually experienced a long period of downturn and struggle. At the beginning of the game, the German team did not show their dominance in the group stage. On the contrary, Portugal played very positively and took the lead in the first quarter. In the first half, the German team felt cold on the outside, making only 1 of 18 three-pointers, almost falling into a scoring drought. At the end of the half, Germany was one point behind Portugal, which was shocking.

However, the situation changed suddenly in the second half. In the third quarter, Germany gradually regained its feelings, and in the last quarter, they completely exploded. The score was 33-7 in a single quarter, and the Portuguese defense line was broken. Whether it is Schroeder's breakthrough, Wagner Jr.'s projection, or Banga's defense and fast attack, Germany completely suppresses its opponents on both offense and defense. The momentum of a strong team suddenly "uses the ultimate move" made the game lose its suspense instantly. In terms of data, Wagner Jr. scored 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Schroeder scored 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, and Banga contributed 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. The three teams teamed up to drive the team's full recovery. As for Portugal, although Quita scored 18 points and 11 rebounds, she was helpless and could not beat her own hands. With physical fitness decline and defensive collapse, Portugal eventually lost.

The three quarters advanced, and the knockout round became increasingly fierce.

As Türkiye, Lithuania and Germany entered the quarterfinals one after another, the knockout round of this European Cup has entered a white-hot stage. From today's game, we can see that it is difficult to go far by fighting alone, and team basketball is still the key to victory. With his full play, Shin Kyung is gradually growing into Turkey's core pillar; although Porzingis tried his best, he was eliminated due to insufficient support from his teammates; while Germany proved with his strength in the quarter that they are still one of the most powerful competitors in the championship.

In the next game, traditional strong teams such as France, Spain, and Slovenia will also appear one after another. Who can laugh to the end depends not only on the explosion of the stars, but also on the cohesion of the team and execution at critical moments. In the 2025 European Cup, there are destined to be more thrilling battles waiting to be staged.