Nikola Jokic Double-Double Leads Serbia to Win vs. Portugal at FIBA EuroBasket 2025

Serbia earned another win in the group stage of FIBA EuroBasket 2025, beating Portugal 80-69 on Friday in Riga, Latvia.

Nikola Jokić posted his second straight double-double. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 23 minutes on the floor. The Denver Nuggets star even got up for a two-handed dunk in the first quarter.

Nikola Jović had standout performance as well for Serbia, scoring 18 points and hauling in six rebounds. The Miami Heat will undoubtedly be encouraged by the 6'10" forward's effort.

Portugal tried to mount a late comeback. Mário Gomes' squad trailed by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter and trimmed the deficit to nine with just under four and a half minutes to play.

Serbia kept its opponent at arm's reach in the final frame, and Jović put the finishing touches on the victory with a three-pointer inside the final minute to put his team up 13.

Jokić didn't play any of the fourth quarter. He exited for Nikola Milutinov with 44 seconds remaining in the third and never re-entered the contest. Coach Svetislav Pešić might be looking toward the rest of the tournament with regard to his best player's usage.

Diogo Brito had a team-high 22 points for Portugal and was one rebound short of a double-double. Travante Williams and Francisco Amarante were the only other Portuguese players to score in double figures.

Serbia plays Latvia, which split its first two games, on Saturday.

The top four teams in each group advance to the round of 16, so Jokić and his compatriots are sitting pretty following a 2-0 start. Three straight wins to open the tournament would all but guarantee them a spot in the knockout stage.