Peachtree Hoops: 2023 FIBA World Cup: Bogdan Bogdanovic leads Serbia into semifinals, 87-68

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Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Serbia faced off against Lithuania in the first game of the final eight-team tournament portion of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Atlanta Hawks player Bogdan Bogdanovic shined for his native team in the quarterfinal round, helping Serbia topple Lithuania 87-68.

Bogdanovic dropped 21 points, four rebounds and three assists, two steals and no turnovers in the winning effort. Alongside Philadelphia 76er Filip Petrušev who tallied 17 points himself, ‘Bogi’ showed his efficiency and deep range by recording a blistering 9-for-13 (69%) from the field and 7-for-9 (78%) from three.

Friday, the Serbian national team will take on the winner of the Canada and Slovenia game played today. With one more win a piece, Serbia and the US men’s basketball national team would face off in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup final, which could bring some mixed emotions for Hawks fans. Trae Young was rather infamously left off Team USA despite openly petitioning for his inclusion. Still, the US easily dispatched Italy in their quarterfinal matchup on the other side of the bracket.

Two other Hawks have completed their respective FIBA campaigns. The Australian national team (3-2) finished 10th out of 32 participating teams behind Patty Mills’ averages of 18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in five games. Bruno Fernando-led Angola ended in 26th place after a 1-4 stint in the first two group rounds. Fernando chipped in with 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assist per game in the Far East. Angola, for their credit, will have a chance at qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics after their performance.

For Bogdanovic, he enters the fourth year of his Atlanta Hawks career this upcoming season with a fresh four-year extension — the final year a team option. The veteran wing is coming off a season where he started a career-low nine games, averaging 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest in 2022-23. While ‘Bogi’ looks to be a super substitute at this stage in his NBA career, he’s still proving he can play at the highest level of international competition with his play thus far.

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