Serbia recovered from a tough
loss against Team USA in the semifinals to snag the bronze medal of
the Paris 2024 Olympics after beating Germany, 83-73, at the Bercy
Arena in Paris, France.
Serbia lost the semifinal game
to the USA by just 4 points after leading for a staggering 35
minutes throughout the game. The Serbians vented their ire against
Germany, the team they lost to in the FIBA World Cup championship
game. That was without three-time NBA MVP for Serbia though, and
this time with Jokic around, he was the difference against the
Germans.
Jokic was brilliant from start
to finish, collecting a triple-double stat line of 19 points, 12
rebounds, and 11 assists. NBA players Bogdan Bogdanovic and Vasilje
Micic added 19 and 16 points respectively as Serbia dominated
Germany thoroughly.
Franz Wagner led the fightback
for the Germans with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists while
Moritz Wagner and Dennis Schroder added 16 and 13 points of their
own.
Germany closes their summer 4th
place – a huge achievement following their first-ever appearance at
an Olympic semifinal. They are already the world champions and
having yet another experience at high-stakes basketball only gives
Germany the necessary experience needed to medal at the next
version of the Games.
For Serbia, this is a redemption
from their silver medal finish in the FIBA World Cup and after
failing to finish on the podium in Tokyo 2020. Serbia already
finished in 2nd place in 2016 against Team USA, and this bronze
cements their place as one of the top basketball nations in the
world.
