Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić is primarily known for his playmaking, but the Denver Nuggets star is more than capable of putting the ball in the basket at an impressive rate, as she showed Saturday during Serbia’s 84-80 win over Latvia at EuroBasket 2025.
Jokić poured in 39 points on 15 of 26 from the field, while adding 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals, to break his own record for the highest-scoring game by a Serbian player in EuroBasket history. With the win, Serbia improved to 3-0 in this year’s competition and clinched a spot in the knockout round.
“I don’t have any words,” Serbian guard Aleksa Avramović told Basket News about Jokić’s performance.
Using his impeccable touch around the basket, Jokić flipped in an array of shots in the paint, many of them over Latvian and Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porziņģis, who stars for Latvia. While Jokić did the majority of his work at the rim, his most important basket came from behind the arc.
With just over 90 seconds remaining and Serbia clinging to a four-point lead, Jokić set a screen for Avramović and popped instead of rolling to the basket. Avramović found him wide open at the top of the key and Jokić set his feet and buried the triple to push Serbia’s lead to seven.
“He’s our leader. When we see him lead the way and do all the things he’s doing, even over two or three defenders, it gives everybody else the motivation to step up even more,” Serbian big man Filip Petrušev said. “That’s why it was a great team victory tonight.”
Serbia, one of the favorites to win the tournament, is now 3-0 and has advanced to the knockout round, despite still having two more games to play in the group stage. Serbia will be in action again on Monday against Czechia and on Wednesday against Türkiye.
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Jasmyn Wimbish
Through the first three games, Jokić is averaging 24.3 points, 10 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 65% shooting. Among all players in the tournament, he is fifth in scoring and third in rebounding, but only 19th in assists.
