After the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics earlier this week in which Serbia made an incredible comeback against Australia, the stage was set for Nikola Jokic vs Team USA today in the Semifinals.
Jokic, the lone superstar for his home country, stood tall against one of the greatest collections of talent ever assembled and fared pretty well. Serbia put a true scare against the United States, heavy favorites in a competition dominated by the USA for a long time. Even though Stephen Curry was incredible in the first half, it was Serbia that extended a double-digit lead into halftime and had the United States nervous.
It wasn’t ultimately made to be for Serbia though. The United States kept chipping away at the Serbian lead, and in the fourth quarter, they executed better that Serbia did at generated good shots consistently. Curry was incredible throughout, while LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid each had their moments when it mattered. Clutch shots, defensive plays, and high level basketball from an elite collection of talent.
The United States ultimately defeated Serbia 95-91 and will advance to the gold medal game against home nation France on Saturday. Serbia will face Germany for the bronze medal on the same day.
Jokic played a strong first half and was clearly the most impactful player on the court early on. He set the table for teammates, drew double teams, scored some baskets, and played good defense against the entire USA roster. It was looking great for the Serbians until the second half, and that’s when Jokic started missing some important 3-pointers late in the shot clock. The Serbians were trying to milk as much time off the clock as possible while they possessed a lead, but that turned what was great shot selection in the first half into so-so shots in the second.
Nikola Jokic is roaring and Serbia ends the first half with 1⃣1⃣ point lead vs Team USA 😳🇷🇸 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/PITqSEfTfN
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) August 8, 2024
Nuggets and Serbian fans can surely be proud of Jokic for how he played against Team USA, but the erratic 3-point shooting has become a bit of a trend of late. It’s important for Jokic to reclaim that shot for his arsenal for the rest of his basketball career. So often, Jokic’s best moments involve a pump fake on the perimeter to gain a step of separation against his defender while driving to the basket. If teams don’t close out hard against him, he will have fewer opportunities driving to the paint.
Whatever the case, it has still been a great experience watching Jokic compete for Serbia. His passion for his country is undeniable, and his understanding of how to play and win at the highest levels of competition is on full display. It’s unlikely that Jokic will bring that level of intensity to the next NBA regular season, but it’s a nice preview of what the playoffs often look like for Jokic and Nuggets fans. Perhaps, a teaser of what’s to come in 2025.
Serbia just took the most talented team in the history of the planet to the wire with a medal on the line.
Team USA was a 16 point favorite. The whole country should be proud. pic.twitter.com/lnel6X0w3q
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) August 8, 2024