Nikola Jokić leads Serbia to Olympic bronze over Germany in men's basketball

PARIS — A lot for the notion of Serbia’s males’s basketball group having a Staff USA hangover.

Simply two days after their crushing loss to the Individuals in an Olympic semifinal for the ages, once they misplaced regardless of enjoying so properly that American coach Steve Kerr deemed their efficiency the “good” sport, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and his countrymen cruised to a 93-83 win over Germany within the bronze-medal sport on Saturday.

Jokić was dominant but once more, because the Denver Nuggets star completed with a triple-double (19 factors, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists). Bogdan Bogdanović, the Serbian group captain and this system’s all-time main scorer who additionally performs for the Atlanta Hawks, had 16 factors. Serbian guard Vasilije Micić additionally had 19 factors. And but once more, as was the case towards Staff USA, the Serbians confirmed the basketball world that they’ve the most effective packages on the planet.

The bronze marks Serbia’s first Olympic medal since its silver gained on the Rio Olympics in 2016. Nonetheless, with Serbia having led the Individuals by 17 within the first half and 10 getting into the fourth quarter, the ache will certainly stay after they let the gold get away.

“It was tough to sleep (after the Staff USA loss),” Bogdanović mentioned. “We didn’t sleep that day, that evening in any respect. It was a late sport, however the subsequent day, all of us get up and (Serbian coach Svetislav Pešić) was prepared with the (group) assembly. He was prepared with the identical assembly that he did the entire yr — somewhat bit longer, in fact. However that was his approach. We believed. We didn’t complain. We weren’t late. Yeah, we play collectively. We win collectively. We lose collectively. We’re collectively. We have a good time collectively.”

As Serbian large man Filip Petrušev mentioned afterward, there was immense pleasure on this end. The Serbians may have let the loss to America be their undoing, however they discovered a option to reply amid all that heartache.

“We weren’t going dwelling with no medal, particularly after what occurred two days in the past,” mentioned Petrušev, who had 11 factors. “We owed it to ourselves. We owed it to the nation, to the those that supported us. Two days in the past, the entire nation was so happy with us, so we needed to deliver one thing dwelling. That was the mentality.

“You all noticed it two days in the past towards one of the best group ever (in Staff USA), possibly, that wanted every kind of assist, and possibly luck somewhat bit (to win). … However I simply hope this isn’t our final time altogether. I believe this group can … sooner or later, be even higher. This is perhaps the most effective groups Serbia ever had.”

Serbian guard Aleksa Avramović, who had 13 factors, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, was equally as proud.

“This was a tremendous sport,” he mentioned. “I imply, 40 hours after that class sport towards the USA, (with) what we did, how we signify our nation, how the folks from Serbia look on this planet, and the way we performed. Critically, for our nation, for one another, and the way we combat (it was enormous).

“We have been on the sting to win towards one of the best group within the historical past of basketball. That was possibly one of the best sport within the historical past of basketball, as a result of within the final 15 years, you had so many (NBA) MVPs on the court docket (5 in all with LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Jokić).”

“We weren’t going dwelling with no medal, particularly after what occurred two days in the past,” mentioned Serbia’s Filip Petrušev. (Garrett W. Ellwood / NBAE through Getty Photos)

For the Germans, who spent the early portion of the match wanting like a professional gold-medal contender, the match got here to a bitter finish. One yr faraway from a FIBA World Cup title that was the primary in this system’s historical past, they seemed sure — at a minimal — to win the nation’s first Olympic medal in males’s basketball.

However they fell to France within the semifinal (73-69), breaking what was a 12-game profitable streak in worldwide tournaments. Then got here Serbia, and the recent begin that had them enjoying catch-up all through.

The Serbians have been sharp early, as they led 30-21 after the primary quarter and have been almost as “good” as that they had been towards the Individuals. They hit 12 of their first 17 pictures (70.5 p.c), with Bogdanović burying a 3 to spark the scoring. Jokić performed bully-ball from there, plowing by German large man Daniel Theis (of the New Orleans Pelicans) twice for buckets from there and scoring on one other possession the place he labored his approach by three defenders. Level guard Dennis Schröder, who had 8 first-quarter factors, helped preserve the Germans considerably shut.

The 2 groups have been nearly even within the second quarter, with Serbia main 46-38 at halftime after they lastly cooled off from the sphere (lacking 10 of 14 pictures within the second). However Germany’s three most distinguished NBA gamers had been far worse, with Schröder (Brooklyn Nets), Mo Wagner and Franz Wagner (of the Orlando Magic) capturing a mixed 4 of 20 from the sphere on the break.

Serbia blew the sport open within the third quarter, occurring an 18-7 run through which 3s from Avramović and Ognjen Dobrić capped the run and put Germany in a 64-45 gap that will show too deep.