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PARIS – Nikola Jokic secured his place in Olympic history with his fifth triple-double as Serbia defeated Germany 93-83 to win bronze in the men’s basketball tournament on Saturday. Jokic delivered an impressive performance with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, helping secure Serbia’s first medal since their silver finish in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Serbia displayed great strength after nearly upsetting the defending gold medalists from the USA in the semifinals. Vasilije Micic also made a significant contribution with 19 points, while Bogdan Bogdanovic ended the game with 16 points. With this achievement, Jokic joins an exclusive group of players who have recorded a triple-double at the Olympics, alongside legends such as Sasha Belov from the former Soviet Union, LeBron James from the USA (twice), and Luka Doncic from Slovenia.
This final was a replay of last year’s FIBA World Cup final, where Germany emerged victorious. In this match, Serbia dominated from start to finish, building a lead of 19 points in the third quarter. Franz Wagner led the German offense with 19 points, while Moritz Wagner contributed with 16 points. Germany had previously enjoyed an impressive 12-game winning streak in major international competitions, but their defeats in the semifinals to France and now to Serbia mean they must settle for fourth place.
Although Germany made an effort to come back in the fourth quarter, reducing the lead to 82-74 after a layup from Wagner, Serbia quickly responded with an impressive 11-4 run that secured their ten-point victory. Serbia can now celebrate an important triumph after a challenging tournament, and with Jokic leading the way, the future looks bright for Serbian basketball.
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