Romania defeated Denmark 89-78 in their EuroBasket clash on Thursday evening in Copenhagen. The visitors ended Denmark's winless streak from their last five matches, a run that had seen them fall to Ukraine, Spain, Japan, Finland and Georgia Bulldogs in succession. The result leaves Denmark searching for answers while Romania showed they can compete with the continent's better sides.
What stood out was Romania's efficiency from beyond the arc. They hit fourteen of thirty-two three-point attempts compared to Denmark's four from twenty-eight. That disparity alone shifted the game, and it meant Romania could win despite taking fewer field goal attempts overall. They converted twenty-eight of fifty-nine shots inside the arc, while Denmark poured in twenty-seven of seventy-five. The difference was in the three-point line, where Romania's shooting carried them.
Romania's ball movement was another telling difference. Twenty assists against Denmark's eleven tells you the visitors were finding each other more reliably. Denmark's eleven assists from twenty-seven field goals suggest more isolation basketball, while Romania's twenty assists from twenty-eight makes you wonder how many of their scores came from proper team play. Their twenty turnovers told another story though — they were careless with the ball at times, but their shooting made up for it.
Denmark pressed harder defensively, grabbing thirteen steals to Romania's six. They also won the rebounding battle on the offensive end with eleven to six, giving them second-chance opportunities. But their twenty-one personal fouls compared to Romania's twenty-nine showed they were reaching, and that kind of aggression eventually catches up with you. Romania's twenty turnovers and twenty-nine fouls meant they were playing with loose hands and loose discipline, yet they still controlled the game's tempo.
Denmark have not won since their last fixture, and this result extends that drought to five straight losses. Romania's victory was built on shooting accuracy and shared ball movement, but the twenty turnovers they committed suggest there is still work to do. The goal difference of eleven points tells you Romania pulled away at some stage, and once that happens in basketball, it rarely gets any easier.