Germany fought for their first Olympic medal in the basketball tournament, but Nikola Jokic and Serbia had a different opinion. Jokic had a triple-double, and Serbia controlled the game from start to finish, beating Germany 83-93 and becoming the Paris 2024 bronze medalists.
The Serbs’ offense ran flawlessly through Jokic, as the three-time MVP had 11 assists along with 12 rebounds and 19 points. The 2023 NBA champion became just the fourth player to register an Olympic triple-double alongside LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Alexander Belov.
Thus, this was only the fifth time a triple-double occurred in the Olympic Games. Three of those five came during the last four years. Aside from Jokic’s special stat sheet, Vasilije Micic had 19 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic followed him with 16.
Physicality and defense were the key for Jokic-led Serbia
Serbia opened up a 19-point lead during the third quarter and forced Germany outside the paint. Dennis Schroder appeared checked out, and the Serbs scored 30 points to start the contest and keep their margin in double digits for most of the game.
Franz Wagner rose to the occasion with 18 points and 9 rebounds, and Moe Wagner followed with 16, but Germany was unable to showcase steady offensive production throughout the game. Turnovers were a huge issue for Germany. They committed 13 for 18 assists, with Serbia producing 20 assists for 8 mishaps.
With the Serbian team leading for most of the game, it was evident that Germany could not comeback in the final five minutes. With the game heading to the last three minutes, Vanja Marinkovic made another three to put Serbia up by 78-93.
2024 Olympic Tournament Schedule
3rd Place Game:
Germany vs. Serbia, 83-93
Final:
22:30: France vs. USA
