Nikola Jokic sturdy in Serbia rout of Puerto Rico

Nikola Jokic, of Serbia, appears to be like to cross away from George Conditt IV, of Puerto Rico, in a males’s basketball sport on the Paris Olympics 2024, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photograph/Mark J. Terrill)

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France— Serbia had tried to match the tempo of the Crew USA in its Paris Olympics opening loss. It made certain to not repeat the identical mistake in opposition to Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

Serbia romped to a 107-66 victory in males’s basketball at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille behind Nikola Jokic’s 14 factors, 15 rebounds and 9 assists — adequate to make a little bit of Olympic historical past for the Denver Nuggets star.

Filip Petrusev had 15 factors and 9 rebounds to assist Serbia bounce again from its Group C loss to Crew USA. It stays on monitor to advance to subsequent week’s knockout spherical. Serbia is 1-1 with its final group sport Saturday in opposition to South Sudan.

SCHEDULE: Males’s basketball at Paris Olympics 2024

“We didn’t management our feelings, management our rhythm (in opposition to the U.S.),” Petrusev stated. “So that you can beat a champion, you actually should play above your expectation to actually have an opportunity to win the sport. However tonight we actually got here to play. From the primary second we began aggressively. … General, we’re glad. However we’d like yet one more.”

Christopher Ortiz led Puerto Rico with 19 factors.

Now 0-2 within the group stage, Puerto Rico was eradicated after the U.S. win over South Sudan. It faces the Crew USA in its final group matchup.

READ: Paris Olympics: Crew USA rolls previous Serbia in opener

Serbia constructed a 12-point lead with out Jokic even scoring a degree. However he was concerned in different methods, compiling six rebounds and 4 assists in lower than 5 minutes of sport motion early on.

Serbia’s lead reached 20 factors within the second quarter.

Now its consideration turns to South Sudan, which beat Puerto Rico on Sunday.

Of their solely assembly, Serbia blew out South Sudan 115-83 through the group stage of final 12 months’s World Cup. However Serbia captain Bogdan Bogdanovic is anticipating to face a a lot totally different model of the upstart African crew this time.

“Nice opponent,” Bogdanovic stated. “They began the event properly. They performed with nice confidence. It’s going to be a tricky sport. We have to come out with the identical vitality we had right now and to combat.”