Is Nikola Jovic playing today vs Team USA? Latest update on Serbia's young star's status | 2024 Paris Olympics (August 8)
Nikola Jovic is likely to play for Serbia on Thursday as they face Team USA in the semifinal of the men's basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 6-foot-10 forward sat out Serbia's quarter-final matchup against Australia on Tuesday due to an illness.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, Serbia head coach, Svetislav Pesic, gave an update on Jovic's status for the game.
"Nikola Jovic is [feeling] better. We hope that he will be able to practice with the team tomorrow. Vanja Marinkovic had some problems after the game, he was not feeling well. He's better today," Pesic said. "The question would've been if he could play today. But 15 minutes ago, he informed me that he was fine."
Team Serbia was able to erase a 24-point deficit against Australia to clinch the matchup 95-90 in an overtime thriller without the involvement of Jovic. However, their upcoming game will need them to play even better and have all their players healthy to stand a chance against the loaded USA roster.
Miami Heat teammates Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo facing off for chance at Olympic gold
The upcoming semifinal game will be a clash of Miami Heat teammates Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo as they represent Serbia and the USA respectively. The two teams previously faced each other in the Olympic opener as the USA defeated Serbia 110-84 to kick off their Olympic campaign with a win.
Ahead of the game, Nikola Jovic is averaging 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field including 30.0% from beyond the arc in the three group-stage contests he played. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo has performed well in the USA's four games, averaging 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 55.6% from the field and 36.4% from deep.
Serbia will encounter Team USA for the third time in the summer after losing by over 20 points in both their previous matchups. As admitted by the head coach, Svetislav Pesic, the Serbian team will have to put their best foot forward to stand a chance against the "best in history" USA team.
"We're playing against an exceptional team, the best in the history of national team basketball, to me. The Americans no longer present only that exceptional individual quality, they have meanwhile grown as a team. We respect that, but we also respect ourselves. And we are not afraid. We want to play a good game," Pesic told media on Wednesday.
The winner of the upcoming battle will advance to the Olympic championship game while the loser will play in the bronze medal match.