Jokic did it in the end. Serbia advances to the quarterfinals of the South Asian Games. Australia defeats Australia 95-90 in overtime. Jokic scores four straight points, dominates overtime.

Nikola Jokic (Serbia) finally finished it.

Serbia defeated Australia 95-90 in overtime in the men’s basketball quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France, on Saturday (June 6).

Serbia’s ace, and one of the NBA’s best big men, Jokic, carried the load with a triple-double performance of 21 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. He was especially dominant in overtime, scoring four straight points on a sensational hook shot and turnaround mid-range jumper 안전놀이터 in the final minute of regulation.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points and Vasiljevic supported with 14 points.

Australia got solid efforts from Josh Giddy (25 points) and Patty Mills (26 points), but they couldn’t get past the Serbian wall that Jokic held up.

It was a physical battle. Australia dominated the boards. Transitions were strong, defense was tight. And they had NBA regulars Giddy and Mills, as well as Dante Exum, Dyson Daniels, and Duff Rhys in rotation.

Serbia’s main ball-handler was a weakness, which Australia capitalized on. They also kept Jokic in check with surprise double teams. Serbia’s offensive efficiency dropped dramatically, and they were outscored 31-17 in the first quarter alone. Half time, 54-42, lead.

However, Serbia rallied in the third quarter. Jokic missed all three of his three-point attempts on the day. He then focused on the basket.

Bogdanovic and Ognen Dobric hit back-to-back three-pointers for Serbia. This was quite impressive. In the third quarter, Serbia used Jokic as a decoy, drawing the attention of the Australian defense and then breaking them down with surprise threes and drives to the basket.

Serbia built a two- to four-point lead. However, a dramatic mid-range jumper by Mills at the end of the fourth quarter sent the game into overtime.

It was a tight game in overtime. But Jokic had the answer. Trailing 89-90 with 1:07 left in regulation, Yokic hit a light hook shot to tie the game.

After an Australian turnover gave Serbia another offensive possession, Jokic crashed the rim with a soft turnaround jump shot after a post-up. A three-point lead for Serbia with 25 seconds left in overtime. Australia had a chance to tie it up, but a Giddy turnover at the crucial moment sealed the game.

On the big stage of the Olympic quarterfinals, it all came down to the presence or absence of Jokic. The most impressive part of the day was the officiating. There have been a lot of hard calls throughout these Olympics.

There were no fouls called unless it was an intentional push or a very hard hit. It was almost like martial arts. However, hitting the hand in a shooting motion or going over the cylinder was a hard call.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *