Serbia fell just sort of slaying the giant, but a bronze medal isn't too shabby of a consolation prize. Nikola Jokic put up another ho-hum triple-double to lead a ruthlessly efficient offensive attack as the Serbians ran past Germany in a wire-to-wire win on Saturday, capturing the country's third-ever medal in men's basketball and its first since winning silver back in Rio in 2016.
Jokic has been great all tournament, but this was a masterclass: 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting with 12 rebounds and 11 assists to zero turnovers, unguardable in the post and spraying passes most other players (much less most other big men) wouldn't even consider.
Just as it did against the U.S., Serbia shot the lights out from 3, going 10-of-24 thanks in large part to Jokic drawing doubles and generating clean looks. Bogdan Bogdanovic continued his strong close to the Games, pouring in 16 on 6-of-12 from the field, while Vasilije Micic added 19 of his own.
"We all love [Jokic]," Aleksa Avramovic said. "He is a literal example of what a superstar should be. You could not believe how good of a person he is, and what it meant to him to be with us. To represent his city, his country, his teammates, and his family."
Serbia shot an even 50% overall from the field, hitting nine of its first 11 shots en route to a 30-21 first-quarter lead and an 8-point advantage at the half. That margin would stretch as high as 16 in the second half, as Germany simply couldn't get stops consistently enough to mount any serious comeback.
It's a disappointing finish for the Germans, who looked like the most serious threat to the U.S. as recently as a few days ago. But the offense that had terrorized the tournament through the first four games ran aground, going dry in the semifinal loss to France and failing to find any sort of rhythm on Saturday.
“We are a good team," Moritz Wagner said. "Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. That’s how sport is. It can’t always be that when you win, you are the hero and when you lose you are the zero. Sometimes things just go wrong."
Dennis Schroder shot just 4-of-11 from the field, and even more crucially turned the ball over six times to go with six assists. When Germany was rolling, Schroder was the one-man engine, weaving his way through the paint, knocking down shots and finding teammates. But things broke down as the competition progressed, and nothing came easy against Serbia; there were far too many moments in which Schroder was simply parked in a corner, watching as stagnant possessions ended in aimless jumpers against a set defense. Franz Wagner shot just 5-of-14, 0-of-4 from 3, all four of which were off-the-dribble looks in isolation. Germany began to heat up a bit as the second half went along, but by then it was too late, the Jokic machine whirring right along.
This is the second Olympic medal for Jokic and Bogdanovic already — they were both part of that silver-medal squad in Rio — and at 29 and 31 respectively, they won't be going anywhere any time soon. Both should still have plenty in the tank by the time the Los Angeles Games roll around in 2028, and the semifinal showdown against the U.S. serves as proof positive of how much potential this roster has.
“You all saw it two days ago against maybe the best team ever," Filip Petrusev said. "I just hope this is not our last time all together. We could have done it at this tournament, but this team can be even better in the future with some young guys coming through, especially if we keep the main guys. There is a great atmosphere, and we love each other so much and that is the key.”
For Germany, meanwhile, the way this tournament ended is going to sting for a while, an opportunity to capture the country's first men's basketball medal slipping through its grasp. But Paris marks the beginning of something rather than the end: Schroder is still just 30, and Franz Wagner is only going to get better.