Basketball: Jokic in his element, Wembanyama/Gobert duo falters... The tops and flops after France-Serbia

Nikola Jokic delivered a masterclass performance, guiding Serbia to a narrow 90-87 victory over France in a friendly basketball match. The Serbian star, often referred to as "The Joker," outplayed his French counterpart Victor Wembanyama, dominating the game with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Despite a few turnovers and a less-than-stellar shooting night, Jokic showcased his playmaking abilities with impressive passes and skillful shots in front of his home crowd.

For the French team, Sylvain Francisco and Matthew Strazel performed adequately, with Strazel fouling out late in the game. However, the real spark for France came from the bench, with Amine Noua scoring 14 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, and Gerald Ayayi adding 10 points and 5 rebounds. Their energy and impact were crucial in France's late surge that nearly tied the game.

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The MVP of this Serbia-France game is not hard to designate. The "Joker" won this duel of giants against "Wemby" with flair and honors: 20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.

Despite the offensive contributions from the bench, the starting lineup featuring both Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert proved ineffective. Coach Freddy Fauthoux's decision to pair the two dominant defensive centers, a strategy that had previously failed, did not yield better results. Defensively, the tandem struggled, and offensively, it forced Wembanyama to play further from the basket, allowing Serbia to control the paint. Gobert himself had a quiet game with only 6 points and 3 rebounds.

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Individually, Gobert had an off night (6 pts, 3 rbs, 3 asts).