LILLE (France) - Three days after losing their opener to the United States, Serbia came back to the Pierre Mauroy Stadium with a strong performance against Puerto Rico.
The only doubt in this whole game was whether Nikola Jokic could get a triple-double or not, and the final answer is no.
But the whole Serbian team is happy with the "yes" they got to the most important question: Did they win a game on Wednesday? Final score: 107-66.
Turning point
Tip-off. It was a one-sided affair from the moment the game started, with Aleksa Avramovic and Vanja Marinkovic stifling the dynamic duo of Puerto Rico. Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters combined for just 4 points on 2-of-10 shooting in the first half, no wonder Puerto Rico were down by 17 after two quarters.
With Serbia leading from start to finish, all eyes were on Nikola Jokic. He had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists before the break, meaning the entire third quarter was spent in watching him get closer and closer to a triple-double.
But with a gigantic lead, it was clear his minutes would be reduced, as coach Svetislav Pesic benched him after just 23 minutes of action, finishing with 9 assists.
Game hero
Nikola Jokic looked way too big and way too strong for Puerto Rico's frontcourt, finishing the game with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, grabbing 15 rebounds - 8 of them in the first quarter - and dishing out 9 assists.
Jokic did not join Sasha Belov (1976), LeBron James (2012) and Luka Doncic (2020) in this one, or should we say - he didn't join them, yet?
He looks good in Serbia's offense and will get another chance to find a triple-double in three days' time against South Sudan.
Stats don't lie
Pick your poison. Serbia dominated all the stats, but the biggest one was probably in the rebounding department. Pesic's men had 54 rebounds, incredible number compared to 24 by Puerto Rico.
Bottom line
Serbia move to 1-1 with a game against South Sudan coming up. They did everything right, and got points all over the board, from all 12 players, capped off by Uros Plavsic's layup with two minutes to play, to get them their 100th point of the game.
Filip Petrusev looked excellent as a starter next to Jokic, he had 15 points and 9 rebounds in 16 minutes, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 13, Aleksa Avramovic 12, Nikola Milutinov 11 with 9 rebounds in less than 15 minutes, Vasilije Micic had 11, while Nikola Jovic finished with 10.
For Puerto Rico, it was a game to forget. Christopher Ortiz was easily their best player with 19 points. If the United States defeat South Sudan, Puerto Rico would be out of contention for the Quarter-Finals even before the last group game.
They said
"This was much better than our game against the United States, not because it's Puerto Rico, but because our energy was there for all 40 minutes, and that's how it should be in all games. When the energy is right, when we're good on defense, when we're all active, then the offense comes all by itself. We showed we're a good team." - Filip Petrusev, Serbia
It's awesome playing with Nikola Jokic - Petrusev
"I don't feel pressure playing next to Nikola. Maybe a bit in the beginning, but that's why we had our preparation camp, so we can figure out what he likes, and if he doesn't like something. It's great now, we know what he does, and we know where to expect the ball when we're cutting, it's awesome playing with him." - Petrusev on Jokic
"The whole world is used to it. Everybody knows what he can do, it's nothing new for him. He's been doing this his whole life, it's nice to have him on the team, and it's a big honor for all of us to share the court with him." - Nikola Milutinov on Jokic
We need to take South Sudan seriously now - Bogdanovic
"I'm satisfied with the way we played, we responded to that slower game we had against the United States, but I'm glad we have that confidence as a team. We need to take South Sudan seriously now, they are a tricky opponent, their preparation camp was really good, and they've been together for a long time now. Their energy is really good, they will be a tough opponent, but there's no easy opponents at the Olympics." - Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia
"They motivate us. I have to admit they are a bit more diligent than us, they have that positive energy and for sure, they are transmitting that energy on us. We're hanging out here, we'll hang out tonight too and exchange the impressions about our games, again." - Bogdanovic talking about the Serbian women's team, who are up to 2-0 after their win over China
Quick notes
Puerto Rico have lost the two opening games at the Olympics for the first time since 1976
Serbia recorded their biggest ever margin of victory at the Olympics
Serbia scored 100+ points for the first time at the Olympics
This was Puerto Rico's heaviest defeat in this competition, eclipsing the 40-point loss to Australia in 1992
Nikola Jokic is the first player ever to record 10+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a single game at the Olympics
FIBA