Rio Olympics: Jokic, Serbia advance to quarterfinals

Nikola Jokic & Serbia defeat China

Nikola Jokic started against China and helped the Serbian side get off to a six-point advantage after the first quarter. The Nuggets’ Serbian sensation began his day by finishing an alley-oop pass with an easy layup. Jokic finished the opening period with four points, three rebounds and a steal.

Throughout the middle two quarters, Jokic was mired in foul trouble and rather ineffective. During his two minutes in the second, “Joker” subbed in then missed a fading jumper in the post. He later picked up a pair of personal fouls within fifteen seconds of each other, sending him straight back to the bench for the rest of the half.

The third quarter was not a lot better for Jokic, as it saw him register only a block and a defensive rebound before drawing yet another foul. Jokic sat on the bench until there were about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

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In the fourth, Denver’s starting center played better. Jokic was relentless on the offensive glass during one sequence, earning a pair of offensive rebounds before drawing a foul on China’s Yi Jianlian. The Nuggets’ big man registered another four points, three rebounds and a steal in the final frame.

Jokic finished the day with just eight points on 2/7 (28.5%) shooting, but he also added a team-high seven rebounds, a block and a couple of steals in his 20 minutes on the court.

Related Story: Rio Olympics: Jokic, Serbia fall to Lauvergne, France in final minute

During group play, Jokic averaged 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.6 blocked shots per game. Jokic is shooting 65.4% from two-point range, but he’s only splashed 25% (2/8) of his three-point attempts in Rio to this point.

Serbia will need a few more MVP-caliber performances from Jokic going forward, if they hope to medal at this year’s Olympic games. The Serbian squad was just 2-3 in group play and finished fourth in Group A. Jokic and his Serbian teammates must face the top team from the wide-open Group B in the quarterfinals. Entering play on Monday, every team in Group B still had an opportunity to advance. Check out the entire bracket for men’s basketball at the Rio Olympics here.

Quarterfinal action gets underway on Wednesday, August 17.

Stay tuned to Nugg Love to keep up with the Nuggets’ Jokic and Joffrey Lauvergne (France) as they attempt to bring a medal back to the Mile High City with them.