Nikola Jokic did all he could on Sunday to carry Serbia to what would have been an upset victory against Team USA. Unfortunately, the Denver Nuggets superstar’s 20-point, eight-assist performance was far from enough to prevent Serbia from suffering a 110-84 blowout loss against a powerhouse American side.
In fact, a shocking statistic from the contest proves just how much Serbia struggled against Team USA sans Jokic.
Team USA News: Serbia Suffered Tremendously Without Nikola Jokic
Jokic logged 31 minutes on Sunday, which means that he got less than 10 minutes of rest throughout the contest. However, his time on the bench cost his team dearly.
Nikola Jokic sat for less than 10 minutes in Sunday's game against the U.S. men's national team.
Serbia was outscored by 26 with him on the bench 😳 pic.twitter.com/rxwAypJ5GY
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 28, 2024
You can’t really discredit the Serbian national side for the effort they put in on Sunday, but to fall behind by 26 points without your star player on the floor is pretty wild.
This not only speaks volumes of Team USA’s utter dominance but even more importantly, how much the Serbs rely on Jokic to carry them through.
For Team USA, it was Kevin Durant who led the way with 23 points on an amazing 8-of-9 shooting. The Phoenix Suns star returned from a calf injury that forced him to sit out all five of the national squad’s pre-Olympics tune-up games.
It’s safe to say that KD’s calf is fine at this point.
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