PARIS, France – Serbia claimed the men’s basketball bronze by defeating Germany, 93-83, at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, August 10, after it missed out on a chance for gold by losing by four, 95-91, to a high-octane US team in the final minutes of their semifinal.
Led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Serbia dominated early, leading Germany by 9 points after the first quarter.
Although Germany narrowed that gap in the second quarter, even outscoring Serbia 17-16, it was unable to quash Serbia’s firepower in the second half.
Serbia continued to keep Germany at bay in the third and fourth quarters, with Jokic and his teammate Vasilije Micic finishing the game with 19 points each.
Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP also added 12 rebounds and 11 assists to clinch only the fifth triple-double in Olympics history.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 for the Serbians, as brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner led world champion Germany with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
The United States will be seeking its fifth straight Olympic title against France at Bercy Arena in Paris in the gold medal match later on Saturday (Sunday, August 11, Manila time). – Rappler.com
