In Manila, Serbia booked their first ticket to the final of the Basketball World Cup. The team of the strong Bogdan Bogdanovic won 95-86 against the Canadians, who are full of NBA pros.
Svetislav Pesic can become world champion once again at the age of 74. The veteran coach and former DBB coach led his Serbians to the final of the basketball World Cup with a 95-86 (52-39) win over favourites Canada in Manila on Friday and is just one win away from another coronation after 2002.
Serbia will play this summer without NBA champion Nikola Jokic, currently considered the best player in the world. Three-pointer specialist Bogdan Bogdanovic (23 points) confirmed his excellent form and was the best thrower for the Serbs, who will win a medal at a major event for the first time since 2017. Bogdanovic hit eight of his twelve field goal attempts, including three successful threes on four attempts. Nikola Milutinov also contributed a double-double with 16 points (6/6 from the field) and ten rebounds.
Serbia will face Germany or USA in the final
On Sunday, the final will be against the winner of the USA vs Germany match. Pesic was already World Champion in 2002 with Yugoslavia, as well as European Champion in 1993 with Germany and 2001 with Yugoslavia. His team, which functions as a collective, held up surprisingly well against the NBA star ensemble of the Canadians around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Serbia got off to a dream start and took an early lead, towards the end of the second quarter the Pesic team pulled away from the North Americans by as many as 15 points. Canada could not recover from that in the end. Gilgeous-Alexander, so far the best player of the tournament, scored 15 points and ten assists in front of 8630 spectators at the Mall of Asia Arena. Team-mate R.J. Barrett (23 points) got going late.
The Canadians had previously defeated the European co-favourites France, Spain and Slovenia around star player Luka Doncic in the tournament and were considered the toughest opponent of top favourite USA. Now the bronze medal is up for grabs on Sunday (10.30 a.m.). For Canada it would be the first medal at a world championship.
