By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
With brilliant stretches from NBA superstars Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic, France rallied in the fourth quarter to edge out a 91–90 win opposite Serbia at the CO’Met Arena on Sunday.
This friendly rematch in Orleans arrived just 72 hours after their initial clash in Belgrade, providing a thrilling spectacle. Under the guidance of head coach Frederic Fauthoux, young captain Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs ignited the home crowd early on with authoritative dunks and back-to-back blocks on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Alongside Minnesota Timberwolves big Rudy Gobert, Wemby anchored a fierce interior defense that propelled Les Bleus to a quick double-digit lead, though Sylvain Francisco ultimately netted a team-high 20 points, just ahead of Wembanyama’s 19.
Although Serbia’s Marko Guduric hit a buzzer-beating triple to trim France’s lead to 27–22 at the end of the first quarter, the hosts responded with a devastating 14–2 run. Completely suffocating Jokic and the rest of Dusan Alimpijevic’s Eagles, France marched into the halftime break holding a commanding 19-point advantage.
The third quarter, however, belonged entirely to the Joker. Responding with MVP-caliber brilliance, Jokic spearheaded a furious Serbian comeback by dominating the paint, finishing with a dominant 34 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists to snatch the lead early in the fourth quarter. Miami Heat’s Nikola Jovic ended up with 13 points to aid the comeback.
In the final moments, Wembanyama sank critical free throws to keep France afloat. With only 4.7 seconds remaining, Guduric scored to bring his total up to 11 points and put Serbia up by one, but France seamlessly executed a final play to Jaylen Hoard, who converted a buzzer-beating layup to secure the victory.
Les Bleus s’imposent au BUZZER ‼
Victoire 91-90 sur un panier décisif de Jaylen Hoard face à la Serbie en préparation du second tour des Qualifications à la Coupe du Monde 😤#PassionnémentBleu | #TeamFranceBasket | #FRASER pic.twitter.com/vQhisroqBl
— Équipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) August 23, 2026
Both teams now shift focus to the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers before the NBA players return to their respective Preseason schedules.
The exciting game was followed by legend Tony Parker in attendance. Also, Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Houston Rockets cheered on his international teammates from the sidelines.
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