Complicated victory but victory nonetheless. Serbia started its preparation for the qualifying matches for the next World Cup with a victory against Montenegro (82-73) yesterday in Belgrade.
The star of the team, Nikola Jokicled the way with 16 points, while stars from the Old Continent, Vasilije Micic et Nikola Milutinov, scored 13 and 12 points respectively. As expected, Milos Teodosic was not with the team while there is no official announcement regarding his non-selection for the Euros.
In front, Bojan Dubljevic et Marko Simonovic scored 17 points each, while Kendrick Perryof American origin, made his debut with the Montenegrin selection with 13 units.
Note that this meeting, which was played behind closed doors, started with a minute of silence for the victims of the shooting in Cetinje, a town in central Montenegro. At least eleven people, including two children, were killed on Friday August 12 following a family dispute. An unprecedented drama in the recent history of the country which decreed three days of national mourning.
After this first test, against a team that will not participate in the next Euro, Serbia will face an opponent of a completely different caliber on Wednesday: Slovenia from Luka Doncic et Goran Dragic. This match will be held in the presence of the public and will be televised. Montenegro host North Macedonia at home on Tuesday.
As part of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, the selection of Svetislav Pesic will face Greece on August 25 in Belgrade, then Turkey on August 28 in Istanbul.
