Serbia was down by as many as 24 in the second quarter but managed not only to eliminate the deficit but also to take down Australia in the quarterfinal of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, 95-90 (17-31, 25-23, 25-11, 15-17, 13-8).

Nikola Jokic was close to a triple-double, collecting 21 points (9/15 2PT, 0/3 3PT, 3/4 FT), 14 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals in 38 minutes of playing time. Bogdan Bogdanovic added an inefficient 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting with 5 rebounds and 6 assists in his account.

Vasilije Micic, who hit a number of clutch free throws in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, finished the match with 14 points and 6 assists.

On the other side of the court, Patty Mills led Australia with 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting, but 20 of his points came in the first half. Josh Giddey had 25 points on 11-for-20 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, but 7 turnovers.

Australia got off to a roaring start in the first half. Leading by one (16-15), the Boomers finished the first quarter with an impressive 15-2 run.

Australia continue dominating, while Patty Mills at one point even had more points himself than the entire Serbian national team combined (18- vs. 17). With 7 minutes remaining in the first half, Australia led by 24 points already (44-20).

It sparked a furious reaction from Serbia’s head coach, Svetislav Pesic.

Coincidentally, Serbia went on to cut their deficit to 12 heading into the halftime (42-54). The Eagles, as they are called in Serbian, continued that good momentum in the second half and managed to eliminate the difference between the teams. Ultimately, they even led by a point (61-60).

Tied at 78 with three minutes to go, Josh Giddey inadvertently fouled Vasilije Micic while he was shooting a three-pointer. The Charlotte Hornets guard converted all three shots to put Serbia up by three.

Giddey answered with a tough shot (81-80). As both teams struggled to make shots, Serbia had the ball with 32 seconds remaining. Nikola Jokic attempted a tough shot, but Vasilije Micic was fouled while attempting a tip-in.

Micic made just one free throw with 9.8 seconds remaining (82-80), and Australia had the last shot. Despite struggling throughout the entire second half, Patty Mills took the ball in his hands and hit a tough fadeaway over Nikola Jokic to force overtime (82-82).

With under three minutes remaining in the overtime, Giddey hit a triple over Jokic, while Mills drew an offensive foul in the ensuing possession. However, Jokic later blocked Giddey’s layup, and Filip Petrusev made two free throws to cut the deficit to just one point (89-90).

After a minute, Australia missed a wide-open shot on their next possession, and Serbia regained control thanks to a turnaround semi-hook from Nikola Jokic. With 25.1 seconds left, Jokic made his trademark Sombor Shuffle shot to give Serbia a three-point lead (93-90), forcing the Boomers to call a timeout.

Serbia progressed to the semifinals after Australia turned the ball over and Bogdan Bogdanovic converted two free throws. Josh Giddey was hurt on the last play.