The soon-to-be EuroLeague debutant had a double-double for Lithuania
Azuolas Tubelis lifted Lithuania with a rare performance
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Lithuania won its third consecutive game at EuroBasket 2025 and improved to 3-1 in Group B by holding off the group host and previously undefeated Finland, 78-81 in Monday night’s showdown in Tampere, Finland. The heroes on the night were FC Bayern Munich playmaker Rokas Jokubaitis, who unfortunately needed to leave the game and be helped to the locker room in the fourth quarter with an injury, as well as Zalgiris power forward Azuolas Tubelis.
Zalgiris brought the big man this past July from its archrival Rytas Vilnius, setting the 23-year-old for a EuroLeague debut in the upcoming season. And if his latest performance is any indication, Tubelis will have plenty to say in Europe’s elite club competition.
“Tubelis is a great player, he is picking up fast and growing fast”, Lithuania’s star center Jonas Valanciunas praised his teammate in a conversation with BallinEurope after the game.
On Monday night, Tubelis was Lithuania’s key chess piece in a battle to defend Finland’s star counterpart Lauri Markkanen, delivering on both ends of the floor in a big win. In his first start, Tubelis finished the game with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists, playing a team-high 31 minutes. He became only the third Lithuanian player to combine for more than 10 points and 10 rebounds in a EuroBasket game in the 21st century, after Linas Kleiza and Valanciunas accomplished the feat in the past.
Tubelis slowed down Markkanen in the opening quarter, validating coach Rimas Kurtinaitis’s decision to start him in place of Valanciunas. Tubelis more than held his own against Markkanen, who entered the game averaging 32.3 points, but was held to just 7 in the first half.
Lithuania pulled away in the second quarter behind Jokubaitis and Valanciunas, then opened up a double-digit lead behind Tubelis. After the break, Finland led by Fenerbahce’s Mikael Jantunen kept threatening to come back, but the Lithuanians held on.