RIGA (Latvia) - The majority of the 8,151 fans in Arena Riga were signing their hearts out for Estonia, but Serbia had no mercy, opening their account in Riga with a 98-64 win.
Serbia flirted with the all-time FIBA EuroBasket assists record, dishing out 32 of them, but the previous mark of 33 still stands, set by none other than Svetislav Pesic's Yugoslavia, against none other than Estonia, back in 2001.
Turning Point
The moment Maik-Kalev Kotsar got injured this summer. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Estonia against the size of Serbia, but without their star center, they were no match for Nikola Jokic and his compatriots.
Serbia opened up a 32-12 lead in the first quarter, and made it a one-way street from start to finish.
TCL Player of the Game
It could've been anyone, but Nikola Jovic had 18 points and 6 assists in just 16 minutes of work, giving Serbia that much needed energy to start the game on the right note.
Stats Don't Lie
Serbia won every single category in the boxscore, but when they are moving the ball like this, it's a joy to watch. It was the 14th time a team dished out 30+ assists in a EuroBasket game since FIBA began tracking the stat in 1995.
Team | Opponent | Edition | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|
Yugoslavia | Estonia | 2001 | 33 |
Serbia | Estonia | 2025 | 32 |
France | Poland | 2022 | 32 |
Serbia | Iceland | 2015 | 32 |
Lithuania | Russia | 1999 | 32 |
Czechia | Greece | 2022 | 32 |
Bottom Line
Serbia took care of business, getting their largest win ever in a FIBA EuroBasket game (+34), while Nikola Jokic showed us once again why people consider him the best player in the world, getting 11 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, barely breaking a sweat.
Estonia got 11 points from Henri Drell, but the real story are their fans, travelling in thousands from the homeland, rocking the house in Riga.
Serbia were a mountain to big to climb, but with this support from the stands, Estonia could shake things up in the upcoming games.
They Said
"Yes, first game. Yes, against one of the favorites of the tournament. But we have our own plans and we have to be better." - Estonia head coach Heiko Rannula
"There will be as much Estonian fans as Latvian. But me, personally, I'll try to get my thoughts away from the game. I'll do analysis with the assistant coaches, see what I can improve and see what should I do in the next game. Move the focus on the next game, that's how I'll get over this game." - Artur Konontsuk, Estonia
"We start the competition with one win, but we don't want to overestimate this game, but at the same time we won't underestimate it. The win is important, it was our goal, but only to win it, it's not enough for us. We wanted more, more, more, to see how we find solutions during the game." - Serbia head coach Svetislav Pesic
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA