Nikola Jokic’s Serbia can’t hang on against stacked Team USA

Nikola Jokic and Serbia threw enough punches to get the heavily favored Team USA on the ropes, but they just couldn’t land the knockout punch. Instead, former NBA MVPs Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid fought with everything they had to come back to beat current NBA MVP Nikola Jokic’s Serbian National Team 95-91.

It took a herculean effort from Curry to keep the Americans in the game, nearly setting a record for the Red, White and Blue by scoring 36 points. James and Embiid joined the party for some huge plays late to push the Americans through to the Gold Medal Game on Saturday. James notched his second-career Olympic triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while Embiid tallied 19 points. Durant only notched nine points but hit some of the biggest shots in the closing moments.

Jokic and Serbia almost pulled an all-time upset. Entering as a 17-point underdog, the team led by as many as 17 early and led by double digits into the fourth quarter. The team clearly ran out of gas, out-classed by Team USA’s depth and unable to keep up with the American’s hot hand (16-of-32) from three.

Jokic finished with 17 points, 11 assists and five rebounds while his defense made a mark in the first half but was diminished late because of foul trouble.

Jokic got Serbia out to a quick lead in the game all the while Curry was going nuclear, scoring 17 points in the first quarter. By the end it was Jokic’s six points and five assists that had Serbia up eight. That kept extending as strong shooting from Aleksa Avramovic and Bogdan Bogdanovic poured it in to extend the lead to 17 points.

Jokic had some huge moments, like the sequence below where he blocked James then took it the other way for an AND-1 finish around the superstar. But it was another play against James’ teammate Anthony Davis in the first quarter that came back to haunt. Jokic had a clearly clean block on Anthony Davis, which was called a shooting foul. Not only the points but the second foul on Jokic hurt Serbia a lot. For whatever reason Svetislav Pesic did not use his challenge on the play despite Jokic’s begging and the coach never would utilize a review.

Nikola Jokić AND ONE! 😳

Serbia has come out STRONG against Team USA. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/H8nclNvl6H

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 8, 2024

USA trailed more in this game than they did in the entire rest of the tournament combined and it was looking harry for the Americans, who entered the fourth quarter down 13. Especially since Team USA had the lead down to six in the third quarter after a few missed threes from Jokic. But a four-point play in the final stages of the third by Marko Guduric gave the Serbs back a big lead and momentum.

That was squashed on a Durant deep shot with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter where Jokic was called for a foul away from the play. USA got the ball back because of it and Jokic was now in trouble with four fouls. On the same possession Devin Booker got loose on the in-bounds pass and hit another three to get the lead down to five.

Then came Embiid, without much resistance, scoring seven straight for Team USA. James tied the game at 84 on a layup a few moments later. But back came Jokic with a pass out of a double team for a layup and a lead. And then Serbia found the ball and a wide open shot to make it five, but it rattled out—setting up Curry for a three to take the lead with 2:22 left. Team USA never looked back, as James put down the hammer and the Serbians scrambled

The Gold Medal Game for the Americans against the host French is on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. with the Bronze Medal Game happening earlier in the day at 3 a.m. for Serbia against Germany. Both of those are Colorado time.

Jokic can score his second Olympic medal on Saturday with a win, while his efforts on Thursday won’t be forgotten as his best player in the world claim strengthen.

Meanwhile Colorado kid Derrick White can grab a Gold if Team USA pulls off a win on Saturday.