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Lauri Markkanen makes history EuroBasket with electric performance
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- Lauri Markkanen makes history EuroBasket with electric performance
The post Lauri Markkanen makes history EuroBasket with electric performance appeared first on ClutchPoints .
After Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen's dominant performance in Finland's EuroBasket opener, he followed up his 28-point performance against Sweden with a masterpiece. In a 109-79 blowout win against Great Britain, Markkanen netted a whopping 43 points on 13-of-22 attempts, including 7-for-13 from deep, and four steals in 23 minutes.
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Markkanen was on fire while connecting on six threes , which kept Great Britain at bay for most of the game.
Markkanen made seven of Finland's 18 threes throughout the game as Finland made half of their attempts from behind the arc (18-36) against Great Britain. Finland's Sasu Salin also connected on seven threes, finishing with 21 points, second to Marrkanen's team-high 43.
Scoring 43 points in Friday's win, Markkanen etched his name in EuroBasket history for a second time as one of the players with the highest point total in a single game. After scoring 43 points for Finland in 2022, he's once again tied Hall of Fame German forward Dirk Nowitzki, Spain's Emiliana Rodriguez (1967), Greece's Niko Galis, and Giorgos Kolokithas for tenth all-time.
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Lauri Markkanen makes EuroBasket history for Finland
Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
While it wasn't the first time Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen has scored 40+ points for Finland, his scoring has been on a hot streak over the past week. After Markkanen drained 48 points in 24 minutes in a EuroBasket exhibition against Belgium, he finished with 43 in Finland's second matchup of EuroBasket 2025 to follow up his 28-point game against Sweden.
His efficient scoring has set the tone for Finland in both games, leading to a 2-0 record out of the gate. Markkanen has been working extra hard on this game this offseason, which should be good news for Jazz fans who will want to see at least one polished NBA veteran on the court amid what figures to be a brutal rebuilding year.
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He will be entering his fourth season with the Jazz, marking the first year of his four-year, $195.8 million contract, which is worth $46.3 million in the 2025-26 season. However, ahead of what's projected to be another rebuilding year for the Jazz, could 2025-26 be the campaign a contending team poaches the talented stretch big from the Jazz? Markkanen could be a name we hear often ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
