After Joffrey Lauvergne and France’s deflating loss to Spain earlier Wednesday, the sole member of the Denver Nuggets left participating in the Rio Olympics was Serbia’s Nikola Jokic. The last quarterfinal matchup of the day was the first competitive game of the day. The average margin of victory in the first three quaterfinal games was 26 points, so Serbia’s three-point victory was a welcome sight for the fans in Rio.
Croatia and Serbia share a border and used to play under the same flag — that of Yugoslavia. Wednesday evening, the two teams were able to renew their rivalry in a major tournament for the first time since the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Turkey.
Jokic averaged 9.2 points, a team-high 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists during group play, helping Serbia to a 2-3 record and a quarterfinal matchup with Croatia.
Serbia used a strong third quarter to take control of the game, but struggled to put away their fellow Balkans-nation rival. After building up a 14-point advantage as late as 8:50 of the fourth quarter, Serbia couldn’t drive the final nail into Croatia’s coffin until the game’s final minute.
Let’s take a look at the role Jokic played in helping his team advance to Friday’s semifinal.
Next: Nikola Jokic helps Serbia defeat Croatia