Patty Mills authored another Olympic masterpiece, but this time it wasn't enough. Mills poured in a game-high 26 points, including a game-tying layup in the final seconds of regulation, but Nikola Jokic took over in overtime to lead Serbia to a 95-90 win in the game of the Olympic men's basketball tournament so far.

Jokic (21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 14 rebounds, nine assists, four steals) yet again flirted with a triple-double, helping Serbia erase a 22-point first-half deficit and then scoring the go-ahead basket with a minute left in OT. Josh Giddey gave the Dunkaroos a 90-87 lead in the extra session, but Australia failed to score over the final 2:43 and frittered away multiple chances to tie or take the lead in game's final seconds.

At this point, we shouldn't be surprised when Mills erupts on the Olympic stage; he's the fifth-leading scorer in men's Olympic history, after all, and his track record is littered with more offensive explosions than we can count. Still, even by Mills' standards, his first half against Serbia was on another planet: The Miami Heat guard checked in at the 2:29 mark of the first quarter and immediately caught fire, going on a 14-0 run all by himself while making all seven of his shots. By the time he checked out again at the 7:25 mark of the second, he had 16 points and the Aussies had built a 24-point lead.

But if we've learned anything in these Olympics, on both the men's and women's sides, it's that no lead is safe — especially not a lead in the first half. And sure enough, Serbia started to chip away, cutting the lead down to 12 by halftime as Mills finally came back down to Earth.

All of which set up a barnburner of a second half and overtime. Serbia came out roaring in the third quarter, starting the period on a 19-6 run to take an improbable 61-60 lead. It was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way, Serbia building a lead as big as five but Australia clawing back thanks to the heroics of Giddey and Jack McVeigh (10 of his 13 points in the second half). 

It's a shame we won't be seeing any more of Giddey in this tournament, because he was once again a revelation as a point-forward, finishing with 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3 — including a cold-blooded one to tie the game back up with three minutes to go in the fourth. After Serbia made three free throws, Giddey scored again to bring the deficit back down to one, allowing Mills to offer up one more Olympic moment:

"You live for those moments," Mills said. "Down two, as a little kid in the backyard, underneath the clothesline in Australia, you imagine yourself as a little kid in those moments being able to hit a big shot at an Olympic Games."

Mills' ridiculous jumper over an outstretched Jokic tied things back up with just 1.2 seconds left. It seemed like Australia might ride that momentum to an improbable spot in the semifinals, but Jokic was too much down the stretch, scoring two straight baskets with a minute remaining to turn a three-point deficit into a one-point lead that Serbia wouldn't relinquish.

It's a heartbreaking end for the Dunkaroos, and likely for Mills' Olympic career. 

"Through the thick and thin, and the ups and downs, the happy tears, the sad tears, it's been an incredible journey to be able to share with those guys," Mills said. "And hopefully, the legacy that we will leave at some point will be able to help the younger guys for years to come."

But with Giddey just coming into his own and NBA talent like Dyson Daniels, Jock Landale and Dante Exum ready to pick up the baton, Australia seems poised to make noise in Los Angeles and beyond.

"In 2028 in L.A., we'll be ready to go," Giddey said. "I'll be 25 at that point. We'll be a lot more mature as a group. It obviously hurts now but I think it's going to help in the long run, fueling that fire going forward. This is a taste we never want to taste again."

For Serbia, meanwhile, the ride continues, although it might be about to get a whole lot tougher: Jokic and Co. are set for a potential rematch with the U.S. in the semifinals, having already been routed by Team USA in group play last week.