Summer Olympics Men’s Basketball Semi-Final: Jokic and Jones Lead Serbia vs. South Sudan

August 4th, the Olympic men’s basketball group stage match between Serbia and South Sudan.

The game started with Gabriel making a three-pointer to open the scoring, to which Jokic responded immediately. Serbia took the lead thanks to Peteršević’s outstanding performance, while Omot of South Sudan scored five consecutive points to help his team take the lead, with Dobrić closing the gap with a three-pointer. In the last play of the first quarter, Mišić scored from the top of the arc, making a buzzer-beater shot.

The first quarter ended with Serbia leading 23-22 against South Sudan.

In the second quarter, Serbia gradually increased its lead. With Jović hitting a three-pointer, they were ahead by 9 points against South Sudan. Jones made a layup, followed by Kur’s three-point shot. The score was reduced to 3 points, prompting Serbia to call a timeout. Jokic scored on a layup after receiving the ball, Jones returned with 2 points, and Deng’s put-back basket helped South Sudan tie the score. In the critical moment, Jokic scored 4 consecutive points to stabilize the situation, with Shaqko throwing in a three-pointer to keep the score close. Bogdanović hit a three-pointer from the left corner for Serbia, followed by Jones’s almost buzzer-beating layup.

The half-time score was 47-44 in favor of Serbia.

Half-time statistics:

Serbia: Jokic – 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist; Bogdanović – 12 points, 4 assists; Peteršević – 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist; Dobrić – 3 points, 1 assist, 1 steal; Milošević – 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist; Mišić – 3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists; Jović – 3 points, 1 assist; Gudurić – 1 point, 1 rebound; Avramović – 1 rebound, 3 assists; Marinković – 1 rebound;

South Sudan: Jones – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal; Kur – 9 points, 2 rebounds; Omot – 7 points, 1 rebound; Deng – 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals; Shaqko – 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals; Tor – 5 points, 1 rebound; Elvin – 3 points, 3 rebounds; Kakur – 2 rebounds; Maruach – 2 rebounds;