Serbia overcomes a fiery 21-point comeback from Turkey amid late-game chaos / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Jokic scored 24, and Nikola Kalinic hit a clutch three-pointer as Serbia held off Turkey with both teams questioning referees' calls during the last minutes.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Turkey (2-5) made an unbelievable 21-point comeback but it was not enough to overcome Serbia (3-3), and the guests captured a win in the Sinan Erdem Dome 79-72 (26-11, 21-17, 18-27, 14-17).

Player of the Game EFF 21 Nikola Jokic Points 24 Accuracy 10-16 Rebounds 10 Assists 0

The first half of the match belonged to Serbia with the guests establishing an early lead. The Nikola Jokic-led squad led by 21 points at the start of the third quarter when the home team began an incredible comeback.

It all started with a 12-0 run in the third quarter (43-52), then a 7-1 start in the fourth quarter to narrow the deficit down to just 4 (62-66). With the score tied at 72 and just under two minutes to go, Nikola Kalinic made a clutch three-pointer from the corner.

Amid the chaos with offensive fouls and referee calls that energized the Turkish crowd even more, it was the Serbians who managed to keep themselves more focused and captured the victory in the end.

Nikola Jokic led the guests with 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 10 rebounds, collecting a double-double. Kalinic, who added a huge half-court buzzer-beater and a late triple, contributed with 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Cedi Osman was the top-scorer on the Turkish side with 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting and 6 rebounds in his account.

It was the third win for Serbia in the Second Round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. After the victory, Svetislav Pesic's roster sits in third place in Group I with 3 wins and 3 losses, trailing Greece (4-2) and Latvia (5-1).

With the two losses during the Qualifiers window, Turkey has complicated its chances of advancing to the World Cup. With a win-loss record of 2 and 4 and only four matches remaining, Ergin Ataman's team will need to capture a win against both Serbia and Belgium in November in order to have a solid chance of advancing further.

Turkey: Cedi Osman 22 (7/9 2PT, 2/10 3PT, 2/5 FT, 6 REB), Furkan Korkmaz 18 (4/8 2PT, 2/4 3PT), Alperen Sengun 17 (3/7 2PT, 1/3 3PT, 8/9 FT, 13 REB, 25 PIR).

Serbia: Nikola Jokic 24 (10/16 2PT, 4/5 FT, 10 REB, 25 PIR), Nikola Kalinic 14 (1/4 2PT, 4/9 3PT, 6 REB), Marko Guduric 14 (3/6 3PT, 6 AST), Vladimir Lucic 11.

Nikola Jokic's performance:

Full game highlights:

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