It is at the end of the morning that the Arena Bercy welcomes the Serbia and theGermany for the small final of these 2024 Olympic Games. A match always tricky to approach for those disappointed in the semi-finals, but Bogdan Bogdanovic seems to be on the same momentum as the match against the United States, where he had once again displayed all his shooting talents.
Nikola Jokic shows off his power and low post technique while Filip Petrusev goes up for a dunk. Dennis Schröder loses several balls but the “Mannschaft” manages to score some saving 3-pointers.
Serbia sets sail
However, it is hard to recognize the German game, usually made up of percussions and shifts. As against the Blues, Franz Wagner and his teammates seem frozen behind the 3-point line, also having trouble containing the offensive talent of Vasiljie Micic on the other side. 30-21 for Serbia after ten minutes.
An airball from the Hornets' point guard sets the tone for the second quarter. Johannes Thiemann brings two valuable baskets to Germany, which is nevertheless suffering, like the Wagner brothers, who accumulate 11 points at 2/14 in this first half (46-38). Fortunately for the “Mannschaft”, Serbia, with a Bogdan Bogdanovic hampered by fouls, is unable to take advantage of this second quarter marked by clumsiness.
Nikola Jokic starts with a superb pass to Filip Petrusev then penalizes near the circle, when Franz Wagner is blocked. Aleksa Avramovic scores a 3-pointer then goes for a layup after the interception on Dennis Schröder and Serbia is now at +14 (59-45). Timeout requested by Gordon Herbert.
A German surge… without Dennis Schröder
This does not slow down the Serbs, with a new basket from the future leader of CSKA Moscow and a 3-pointer from Ognjen Dobric (64-45). The German coach calls a new time-out, forty seconds after the previous one, and takes off Dennis Schröder, who seems to have lost the thread of the match…
Germany gets back on track a bit with 3-pointers from Isaac Bonga and Mo Wagner, while Svestislav Pesic immediately tries to cut off the German surge. But without its usual leader, the “Mannschaft” is much more aggressive and comes back to -9 (72-63) at the start of the last quarter of this small final. Everything is still possible!
But Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, as bosses, revive their team, helped by the activity of Aleksa Avramovic. Gordon Herbert recalls Dennis Schröder and Germany can still believe (72-62).
Moritz Wagner fights to keep his team in the game but Bogdan Bogdanovic punishes a poor defense by Dennis Schröder, who also loses the ball on the next play. The German coach has to call another timeout (87-74) while things are really starting to smell bad for the “Mannschaft”.
Dennis Schröder and his teammates were unable to score the 3-pointers that would have allowed them to believe in a hold-up and so it was logically Serbia who won (93-83) and who wins the bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. With Nikola Jokic who signs a triple-double (19 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists), the fifth in the history of the Olympic Games and the second in two days…
