Nikola Jokic reminds Team USA he's the best in the world

Remember when Nikola Jokic said the Nuggets needed a clone of him to overcome Minnesota's three-man big lineup of Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid in the playoffs?

The Serbians could have used a clone of the three-time MVP Sunday when they faced Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics opener. With Jokic on the floor, the Serbs were neck-and-neck with the Americans in the points department. With Jokic off the court, Serbia was outscored by a whopping 29-3 margin.

Jokic finished with 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 30:45 of play as Serbia lost 110-84 to the mighty Americans. The Steve Kerr-led team capitalized on the 9:55 minutes he was off the floor.

All of Jokic's prominent teammates hurt the box score, with Bogdan Bogdanovic (minus-17) and Filip Petrusev (minus-13) unable to stop the bleeding when he went to the bench.

Jokic's performance was another reminder of why he's still the best basketball player in the world. A year after capturing his maiden NBA title, the seven-footer seemed prime for another deep postseason run until his Nuggets ran into the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals. Jokic's Nuggets blew a 20-point lead in Game 7 to earn a dubious record for the largest blown lead in a Game 7 in playoffs history.

Despite that forgettable playoff choke job, the Nuggets still have the second-shortest odds to win the 2025 NBA title, largely due to Jokic's greatness. The Nuggets lost a key piece in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the free-agency period but replaced the veteran guard with former MVP Russell Westbrook.