Nikola Jokic posts fifth triple-double in Olympics history to lead Serbia to bronze medal

PARIS — Nikola Jokic had the fifth triple-double in Olympic history and Serbia beat Germany 93-83 to win the Olympic men’s basketball bronze medal on Saturday.

Jokic finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help Serbia claim its first medal since winning silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Serbia bounced back after nearly upsetting the four-time defending gold medalist U.S. in the semifinals.

Vasilije Micic added 19 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 16. Jokic joined Sasha Belov of the former Soviet Union, the United States’ LeBron James (twice) and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic as the only players with Olympic triple-doubles.

The game was a rematch of last year’s FIBA World Cup final, which was won by Germany. Serbia led throughout in this one, building as much as a 19-point lead in the third quarter .

Franz Wagner had 19 points to lead Germany. Mortiz Wagner added 16.

The World Cup win was part a 12-game win streak in major international competition for the Germans, who won their first four games in Paris to reach the semifinals. But they lost their final two, also falling to host France on Thursday.

Germany made a push late in the fourth quarter, whittling Serbia’s lead to 82-74 on a layup by Wagner. Serbia responded with an 11-4 run to push it back above double digits.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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