Deversing Serbia 110-84 earlier today, Team USA started the 2024 Paris Olympics off strong. Serbia fought well, behind by just nine points going into half. Team USA dropped away in the second half, though, and guaranteed a clear win. One statistic reveals how Team USA defeated the Serbian national team and NBA sensation Nikola Jokic.

Jokic’s on-off splits really help to capture the narrative of the game. In the 31 minutes Jokic spent on the floor, the game’s score was 81-81, according X’s BasketNews on formerly Twitter. Originally Twitter But in the nine minutes Jokic missed off the floor, Team USA controlled with a 29-3 score.

For Serbia, Jokic rather obviously made the difference. Given Jokic is among the top basketball players in the world, this should not be surprising; so, it was expected that he could improve the whole team’s performance. On his alone, though, he was insufficient to top Team USA.

In the losing effort Jokic scored 20 points, adding five rebounds and eight assists. Scoring 14 points and adding six rebounds in 28 minutes, Bogdan Bogdanovic was the next top performer.

LeBron James and Kevin Durant set the standard for Team USA in meanwhile. During the decisive triumph, each of them scored more than twenty points.

Up against a rising South Sudan, Team USA will have an enormous challenge in their upcoming game.

Among nations, South Sudan is the newest one. Today in a 90-79 contest over Puerto Rico, they won their first Olympic basketball game.

Following the historic victory, the South Sudanese supporters erupted into a wild celebration. The triumph of South Sudan was only the second one any African country had at the Olympics since 1996.