Sweden takes advantage of a down night from Lauri Markkanen as they come out victorious.
Finland came into their home gym in Helsinki on Thursday expecting a decisive victory, but Sweden had other plans.
Lauri Markkanen has made it a habit of torching EuroBasket and World Cup Qualifying fields — dropping 43 in the first half against Great Britain and a 48-point outburst against Belgium.
In a tense second-round qualifier of the European Qualifying round, Sweden made him look human.
Sweden left Helsinki with an 86-81 win over Finland, a result built on the shoulders of Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson, who delivered the best performance of his international career.
Larsson finished with a game-high 31 points in 31 minutes, adding five rebounds as Sweden got their signature win of the second round.
His performance stands out even against his NBA résumé—Miami exercised its team option in June after he averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 70 games and 54 starts last season.
Larsson did not do it alone. Teammate Simon Birgander added a double-double, and Ludde Hakanson provided 14 points and seven assists off the bench.
For Finland, the story was Markkanen struggling to fill up the box score. The Utah Jazz forward finished with 11 points, three rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes. Extremely modest numbers for someone who has terrorized the international circuit the last two summers.
His shooting line sums up his day: 2-for-4 on twos, 0-for-9 on threes and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Nine missed threes is unheard of from Markkanen, and Sweden's defense made sure he never found a rhythm from the perimeter that's normally his comfort zone.
Finland's starting five combined for only 43 points. The bench kept them in the game. Olivier Nkamhoua scored 19, and Miro Little added 12.
Finland just never had the firepower to match Larsson's takeover-like day.
The loss is a reality check for Finland, which has benefited from Markkanen's international presence this summer. He's averaged over 23 points a game and has become the focal point of Finland's offensive attack.
One off night does not undo his track record, but it's a reminder of how thin the margins are in windows like this one.
For Sweden, it's the kind of result that validates building around NBA talent. Larsson has quietly become a rotational piece in Miami, and if he keeps up his performances for the national team, Sweden's push for a top-three finish in Group L looks more doable.
Both teams are 4-3 in Group play. Finland travels to face Estonia, looking for a much-needed bounce-back win, while Sweden hosts France.
For Jazz fans, a rare down night for Markkanen on the international stage should warrant no worry for the season.
