Nikola Jokic, along with the Serbian national team, had a tune-up game against Team USA in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics and lost by a wide margin of 26 points, 105-79. The Denver Nuggets center received quite a bit of praise from Team USA head coach Steve Kerr right after the matchup.
The three-time NBA MVP logged in almost 29 minutes against Team USA and was able to provide his team with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. It was deemed a subpar game, with Jokic shooting 6-of-19 from the field, as he also became the main subject of the American’s defensive strategies.
Right after the exhibition matchup, Steve Kerr was asked about the Serbian big man and his thoughts.
“Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world. He’s so good at everything, but tonight just wasn’t his night,” said Kerr.
The Warriors head coach also emphasized that defense has been their main priority, especially since international games are more physical as compared to the NBA.
“The whole focus for this team is defense, defense, defense,” Kerr said. “As long as we are putting pressure on the ball and making things difficult for our opponent, it’s going to be a different guy every night. These guys are really talented. It was Steph tonight, next game it will be somebody else. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is winning and our guys know that.”
Team USA had Warriors guard Steph Curry leading the charge with 24 points as he lit it up from the three-point line, shooting 6-of-9. Anthony Edwards and Bam Adebayo came off the bench, scoring 16 and 17 points apiece, while LeBron James is the last double-digit scorer with 11 markers.
On the other side of the fence, Jokic had help mainly from Aleksa Avramovic with 14 points, while Filip Petrusev chipped in with 11 points.
Joel Embiid unfazed by Nikola Jokic in the international stage
Team USA made a huge announcement that Joel Embiid is going to be their naturalized player heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics, beefing up the already stacked American roster. Many see the inclusion of the Cameroonian center as the anti-venom for Team USA when they face the likes of bruising big men like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the international scene.
The last four NBA MVP trophies are shared by Embiid and Jokic, with the Sixers center winning the plum in the 2022–23 season. When asked about facing his position rival in the Olympics, Embiid had a very blunt response.
“I don’t care about Jokic. I’m playing for my national team,” said Embiiid.
In their first chance of seeing each other wearing the national team colors in a tune-up game, Embiid played only 16 minutes and provided eight points, eight rebounds and three assists.
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