“He’s not a great passer” – Alperen Sengun reveals secret hack that powered Turkey past Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece in EuroBasket semis

Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun led the Turkish men’s national basketball team to the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket finals. On Friday, Turkey defeated the Greece team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, 94-68. Sengun continues his historic run on the international stage by beating the nine-time All-Star.

The big man had a huge double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. He also had six assists during the game. It was Ercan Osmani who led Turkey in scoring with 28 points. Former NBA players Cedi Osman and Shane Larkin added 17 and 14 points, respectively.

Following the contest, Sengun spoke highly of his teammates and how they played key roles in their victory. Even though he didn’t have the best scoring night, he stayed aggressive on both ends of the floor.

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“It doesn’t have to be my night every night. It was my teammates’ night,” Sengun said. “I was just keeping playing aggressively. I know the ball is coming to me, so I can’t do anything. I was just trying to do my best in defense and just finish the easy shots in offense.”

Turkey was able to contain Antetokounmpo to just 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Turkish planned to focus on slowing him down to get the Greek team off its rhythm.

Sengun took a slight jab at the Greek Freak's passing and told the media that, as great of a player as he is, he's not an amazing passer.

“We just put pressure on him... Giannis is one of the best players in the world, and we just tried to help Ercan, and I think we did a good job,” Sengun added. “He’s an amazing player, but he’s not like a great passer. So, we’re just trying to help and like jump to close the paint.”

Alperen Sengun and Turkey will face the Dennis Schroder-led Germany in the EuroBasket finals.

NBA insider energizes the fans with Alperen Sengun's current EuroBasket run

There's no denying that Alperen Sengun has done wonders with Turkey this summer. He's gotten his home country excited as they are close to potentially winning a gold medal. Even the Houston Rockets' fans are looking forward to seeing him play when the 2025-26 NBA season starts.

NBA insider Sam Amick energized the fans on X, calling Sengun a problem, not just against Greece, but against every team that will play against his team.

"Sengun is a PROBLEM, for Giannis and everyone else in the basketball world. The Rockets, and that Kevin Durant guy, have to be loving the way he has looked in EuroBasket," Amick tweeted on Friday.

Fans can tune in on Tuesday to see how Alperen Sengun will end his impressive run with Turkey in the EuroBasket.

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Reign Amurao

Reign Amurao specializes in basketball at Sportskeeda, bringing 3 years of experience to his role and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

A fervent supporter of the Phoenix Suns, Reign was hooked to their electrifying "Seven-Seconds-Or-Less" offense, which epitomizes high-paced and high-intensity basketball. For Reign, Steve Nash is the ultimate floor general, and he believes Boris Diaw could've been the next Magic Johnson if he had a bit more discipline. 

From Reign's perspective, Anthony Edwards is a 90s player stuck in modern times, and Gregg Popovich is an ultimate winner with unparalleled success and leadership in the sport.

Reign's expertise lies in NBA history, particularly the significant moments and trends of the 2000s and 2010s. He prioritizes in-depth research using only credible sources to maintain accuracy in his articles, and avoids misleading topics.

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