"'Bog' means 'God' in Serbian”: Nikola Jokic-less Serbia cruise past Lithuania on the back of Bogdan Bogdanovic’s heroics

The Serbians just upset the upsetters. Led by guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia convincingly defeated Lithuania, 87-68, in their FIBA World Cup quarterfinal clash on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines, dampening Lithuania's recent significant win over Team USA.

Bogdanovic scored 21 points by making nine out of 13 shots, hitting seven of nine two-pointers and two of four three-pointers. In addition to his scoring, he contributed with four rebounds, three assists and two steals, resulting in an impressive efficiency score of 25.

His performance included a play in which he showcased his shifty dribbling skills, maneuvering through the Lithuanian defense and finishing with a layup over Jonas Valanciunas. The FIBA social media page commended this play, highlighting that in Serbian, “Bog” translates to “God.” emphasizing the greatness of his skills.

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Bogdan Bogdanovic makes FIBA World Cup history

According to Opta stats, Bogdan Bogdanovic has achieved the remarkable feat of making a three-pointer in each of his 23 FIBA World Cup games. This ties him with Kirk Penney for the longest such streak in the competition over the past 30 years.

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Bogdanovic also became just the sixth player in the 21st century to reach 400+ points in the FIBA World Cup.

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Bogdan Bogdanovic had an outstanding first half, contributing 18 points that helped his team build an 11-point lead over Lithuania, with the score at 49-38.

Bogdanovic received strong support from Filip Petrusev, who contributed 17 points, shooting an impressive 7-of-8 from the field, and also grabbed six rebounds along with two assists.

Serbia managed to outrebound Lithuania, who had been the tournament's leading team in terms of rebounding, 33-28.

On the Lithuanian side, Tadas Sedekerskis led the way with 14 points and contributed nine rebounds. Valanciunas, on the other hand, was limited to 11 points and four rebounds in the game.

Lithuania has left a significant impression on this year's World Cup by delivering a stunning upset victory over Team USA, defeating them 110-104.

Serbia will now advance to the FIBA World Cup semifinals, where it will face either Canada or Slovenia. Serbia is competing without the presence of two-time MVP and the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic. Unfortunately, Jokic was unable to join the roster due to exhaustion stemming from the Denver Nuggets' recent championship run.