The Denver Nuggets have been retooling their roster this offseason in pursuit of another title, and their MVP center Nikola Jokic has been leading the Serbian national team in EuroBasket.
Serbia finished group play with a 4-1 record and now has its sights set on the Round of 16 and a gold medal. Over those five games, Jokic averaged 20.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 65.5 percent from the field in 25.8 minutes per game.
His most dominant showing came against Latvia and Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis on Saturday. Jokic powered Serbia to an 84-80 victory against Latvia, delivering a monster double-double.
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Kristaps Porzingis reflects on matchup with Nikola Jokic
Porzingis, who finished as Latvia's second-leading scorer, spoke on his matchup with Jokic and praised the superstar's unique skill set, according to Mozzart TV.
“It was tough,” Porzingis said. “He's so crafty around the rim. He has such a big body but such soft hands around the rim. His basketball IQ is on a different level. It was a battle all night long — he probably has 30 kilograms (around 66 pounds) on me. I was battling him as much as I could, and overall I think it was a fun battle.”
Jokic certainly won that bout, posting 39 points (15-26 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-8 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals across 32 minutes. Serbia will now turn its attention to the knockout stage, opening against Finland at 2:45 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Latvia is scheduled to face off against Lithuania in the Round of 16 at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, setting up the possibility for a rematch between Porzingis and Jokic later in the tournament.
If that rematch doesn't come during EuroBasket, Jokic and the Nuggets are scheduled to visit Porzingis and the Hawks in Atlanta on Dec. 5.
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