Jokic beats Wembanyama in their last encounter before the Paris Games

Serbia issued a warning to all those who doubt its chances of reaching the podium at the upcoming Olympic Games. What better way to assert its position than by defeating France, the Olympic Games host country, in the men’s basketball tournament, just two weeks before the event.

NBA duel: MVP vs. ROY

Svetislav Pesic’s team secured their victory at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu with a score of 79-67 in front of 9,500 spectators. The game featured a matchup between two of the most dominant players from the NBA’s last season: Nikola Jokic, the official MVP (most valuable player), and Victor Wembanyama, the promising young talent for the Spurs, and the official ROY (rookie of the year).

The Denver Nuggets center delivered an outstanding performance with 20 points and 12 rebounds, outperforming Wembanyama, who scored 14 points and 10 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic (15) and Guerschon Yabusele (12) also had an impressive night.

France entered the duel with a strong image, with Wemby bringing out all its quality against Turkey and Germany in the previous preparation matches. The host of the Paris Games, along with the Serbs who just gave them this wake-up call, is another team that aspires to win a medal.

The turning point came in the second quarter, when the Serbian team went on a 27-9 run, taking the lead on the scoreboard and maintaining it. During the match, Wembanyama demonstrated his ability to score from the outside, which he often used despite close marking from the Nuggets center. At the same time, Jokic dominated inside without almost any opposition. Nikola made 7 of 11 attempts from two-point range, while Victor only made 1 of 5 shots from the perimeter. These differences finally decided the game’s outcome.

In a matchup against strong post players such as Gobert, Lessort, and Wembanyama, Jokic has again displayed impressive center-playing and leadership capabilities. Serbia’s de facto leader’s execution, even in a simple, friendly match like this against France, will be a good impulse of positive energy among the players in the wake of the Olympic Games.

Wemby vs. Jokic: national team careers compared

While looking at their national team careers, Wembanyama has less international experience on the senior level than the more experienced Serbian player, but it is a fact that Jokic still has not found “golden success” with his national team. With the “Tricolore” at the youth level, Wembanyama has led his team to two silver medals, including at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he set the FIBA record for blocks per game in a single tournament.

Nikola, however, had finished on the podium of big international competitions (silver medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics and U-19 world championships). Nevertheless, Serbia is still without a gold medal while having him on the roster.

At last year’s FIBA World Cup, Jokic opted not to be selected for the Serbian team due to physical and mental fatigue following his victorious season at the Denver Nuggets.