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Serbia pip Australia in thriller to make Olympic basketball semis

AFP
Wednesday, Aug 07, 2024

PARIS: Nikola Jokic led Serbia into the men´s Olympic basketball semi-finals on Tuesday as they rallied from 24 points down to edge Australia 95-90 in overtime and set up a potential showdown with the United States.

Patty Mills scored 26 points for Australia, including 14 in a row during a 20-0 run spanning the first and second quarters, but Serbia hung tough and gradually erased the deficit to pull off an epic comeback.

Three-time NBA MVP Jokic tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists and received plenty of help from his supporting cast. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 17 points as one of five other players to hit double figures for Serbia. Australia made it through the group stage despite losing two of three games, whereas Serbia pipped South Sudan to second in their section behind Team USA.