Jokic takes backseat vs. Italy as Serbia finishes summer undefeated

Nikola Jokic will likely be playing basketball this time next year thanks to what he and his Serbian teammates accomplished this summer. On Monday, he took a backseat to those teammates, who got hot in the second half to beat Italy 76-64 in Pesaro, completing a 4-0 summer run.

Jokic’s final line — eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two steals and just one assist in 24 minutes — told the story of him not being the engine in this one. Italy loaded up to take the ball out of his hands, and the three-time MVP was perfectly happy to oblige.

“I saw those coverages many times before, but that’s why I love playing for the national team and competing,” Jokic said postgame. “The most important thing is to win the game no matter what. So if I can make an advantage by not having the ball and let the other guys score, I’m more than happy to do that.”

Aleksa Avramovic poured in 20 points and Marko Guduric added 19, each drilling four threes as Serbia’s perimeter attack punished Italy for collapsing on Jokic.

Serbia built a 14-point lead behind a 13-0 second-quarter surge, but Italy — led by Nico Mannion’s 23 points — ripped off a 20-6 run spanning the middle quarters to tie it at 47. That’s when Jokic picked up a technical foul and checked out.

Normally, that spells doom. Instead, Serbia’s defense clamped down to open the fourth quarter, holding Italy scoreless for four minutes and ripping off a run to go up 64-54. Italy never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

“The energy from my teammates was off the charts,” Jokic said. “They brought us extra possessions, points and energy that led the rest of the team.”

The win moved Serbia to 6-2 in Group J with four qualifiers remaining, putting them in a great position to punch their ticket to the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. They’re second behind Turkey in their group. Italy, once sitting pretty at 5-1, dropped both window games to fall to 5-3. They’re now down to third. Lithuania is on the outside looking in at fourth, just one point behind Italy.

It was a flawless summer slate for a Serbian squad in competitive games.

What’s next: Serbia returns to action in November’s Window 5 without Jokic as they take a trip to Lithuania before hosting Italy in a rematch in Belgrade. Both teams are live for next summer, making each game critical.

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