Serbia is now one win away from securing a medal and will face the winner of United States-Brazil on Thursday. In the semifinal on the other side of the bracket, Germany awaits the winner of France-Canada.
Here are three takeaways from Serbia's impressive win.
1. Defense turned the tide
After a first-half performance that saw Serbia trailing, it came out after halftime and flipped a switch. Serbia's defense was intense, suffocating and extremely physical. The players battled on every switch, drew charges, secured rebounds and limited Australia to single-opportunity possessions.
If Serbia can reproduce that level of defensive intensity moving forward, it will be tough to overcome.
2. Balance leads the way
Serbia might have the best player in the world on its roster, yet it continues to play a team-based brand of basketball. Its entire offense is built on a steady balance. Nikola Jokic plays a far less pronounced role for Serbia than he does with the Denver Nuggets. The result was six players scoring in double digits, three players registering six or more assists and four players grabbing five or more rebounds.
Jokic has led Serbia's unselfish play, which is producing very convincing results. While this doesn't guarantee success in every game, it certainly makes the Serbians undesirable opponents.
3. This is likely the last time we see Patty Mills play international basketball
Patty Mill is very similar to Dennis Schroder in that he always raises his level when playing at the international level. Against Serbia, he recorded 26 points and three rebounds on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. However, Mills is 35 years old. Australia has multiple young talents ready to take over his spot on the team with Josh Giddey primed to be its long-term solution as the lead ball-handler.
As such, this may be the last time we see Mills suit up for Australia at an international tournament. His career is coming to an end and he may choose to let others step up rather than add extra mileage to his body.
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