Yam Madar’s big game can’t stop Nikola Jokic’s Serbia; Israel falls 89-78

The stashed Celtics point guard couldn’t miss, but it wasn’t enough to shut down the Joker and company.

Israel fell to Nikola Jokic’s Serbia, 89-78, on Tuesday despite one of the best games in EuroBasket play yet from stashed Boston Celtics point guard Yam Madar.

The Beit Dagan native put up a team-high 20 points, 4 assists and 2 steals in a little more than 29 minutes of floor time, but it wasn’t enough to get Israel past one of the NBA’s top talents.

The Israeli floor general’s shooting, in particular, shined in the loss. He hit a red-hot 8-of-11 overall and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in a contest in which Madar had only 3 turnovers and 2 personal fouls.

As good as Madar’s game was, neither he nor any of his Israel National Team companions had an answer for Jokic, who cruised to 29 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks before fouling out in the game’s final frame.

With the loss, Israel falls to 2-2 and is tied with Finland for third place in Group D.

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