Nikola Jokic stats: Serbian star records double-double in EuroBasket 2025 opener win vs Estonia (Aug 27)

The Nikola Jokic-led Serbia opened its FIBA EuroBasket 2025 campaign against Estonia on Wednesday at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia, with a dominant 98-64 win.

Jokic finished with a near triple-double, recording 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on 3-of-4 shooting. In 23 minutes, he went 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and committed three turnovers.

Nikola Jovic led Serbia with 18 points, four rebounds and six assists on 6-of-8 shooting.

The three-time NBA MVP is coming off a stellar campaign with the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25. Jokic was runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the MVP award after averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists on 57.6% shooting (41.7% from 3-point range) in 70 games.

In the first quarter on Wednesday, Jokic had two points, one rebound and two assists in nearly eight minutes of action as Serbia raced to a 32-12 lead.

Jokic played five minutes in the second period. At halftime, he had seven points, four rebounds and three assists on 2-of-2 shooting. He also committed one turnover and went 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in 13 first-half minutes.

Jokic played nearly the entire third period and added four points, six rebounds and four assists. He did not play in the final frame as Serbia led 86-44 after three quarters.

Nikola Jokic's stats

Player

MIN

PTS

FG

2PT FG

3PT FG

FT

REB

AST

PF

TO

STL

BLK

+/-

Nikola Jokic

23:04

11

3/4 (75%)

3/3 (100%)

0/1 (0%)

5/6 (83%)

10

7

1

3

0

0

39

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Serbian teammates praise Nikola Jokic ahead of EuroBasket campaign

Serbia went 7-0 in exhibition games leading to the tournament, and several pundits have named the team as the favorite to win it all. Nikola Jokic is still seeking his first FIBA EuroBasket podium finish.

In an article published by FIBA on Monday, two of Jokic’s Serbian teammates praised him. Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has played alongside Jokic for several years, highlighted the big man’s conditioning.

"Everybody knows about his IQ and feel for the game, but what really makes him special is his basketball shape for his size, his ability to run and his conditioning," Bogdanovic said. "He brings probably the highest confidence that I've ever had playing with anyone else."

Meanwhile, Serbian wing Aleksa Avramovic noted the ways Jokic makes the team better.

"With him on the court our chances are bigger." Avramovic said. "He's someone who makes life easier for others on the court. He makes my life easier."

Nikola Jokic and Serbia will next face Portugal on Friday, followed by matchups against Latvia, the Czech Republic and Turkey, led by Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun.