Serbia is Missing Nearly All of Their NBA Talent, Yet Jokic Still Shines
Entering the 2nd round of the World Cup European Qualifiers, Serbia boasted just a 2-3 record. Luckily, they did have the huge morale boost of knowing that defending two-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic, would be returning the Serbian National Team for this set of games. Unfortunately their roster of 12 for these August games showcase none of the NBA-Serbian talent. With players either being injured, not awarded the ability to play for the National Team, or simply not being selected, Serbia had quite a few notable players missing from their qualifying roster. These players included Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic, Boban Marjanovic, and Aleksej Pokusevski.
Facing off with Greece in what felt like a must-win game for Serbia, Jokic went head-to-head against perhaps the other best basketball player in the World in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Joker recorded 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. He was also incredibly efficient, shooting 9/13 (69.2%) from 2-point range and hit 2/3 (66.6%) of his attempts from beyond the arc. Additionally, Jokic made 3 of Serbia’s 5 field-goals in OT, ultimately giving them the 100-94 victory.
Giannis’ 40-Point Performance Was Not Enough
On the flip-side of the game, Greece did not have enough fire-power to help Giannis Antetokounmpo pull off the comeback win. Greece led in the game for a total of just one minute and eleven seconds, trailing by as many as 9 points. Despite this, Giannis manhandled Serbia for the entirety of the game, scoring 40 points on 14/25 shooting, while shooting a respectable 10/14 from the free throw line. The other two Antetokounmpo brothers combined for 18 points, and former Oregon Duck, Tyler Dorsey, added 16 points (including the game-tying three in the 4th quarter).
Jokic and Serbia will now prepare for their game against Turkey on Sunday, August 28th. Turkey showcases the NBA talents of Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, and Alperen Sengun, as well as former NBA point guard, Shane Larkin. Giannis and Greece will face off with Belgium that same day, as the Group I qualifiers continue.