Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic nearly led Montenegro to a massive upset over the United States at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Montenegro led Team USA, 39-38, at the end of the first half. But they did not have quite enough left in the tank to secure the victory in what finished as an exciting second-round game between the two national teams.
USA eventually won the game, 85-73, after an especially strong second half from Anthony Edwards.
Vucevic, however, still made a remarkable effort in this solid performance. He finished with 18 points (8-of-19 FG, 1-of-3 3P) and 16 rebounds with 2 blocks and just 1 foul after more than 26 minutes of action.
It was arguably the best match any individual player has had against Team USA at any point during the tournament thus far.
Nikola Vucevic kept Montenegro in the race right until the end.
📊 18 PTS | 16 REB | 2 BLK | 🇺🇸 85-73 🇲🇪#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/LSXGWSrHqr
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 1, 2023
Montenegro (2-2) has a game scheduled against Greece (2-1) at 4:40 AM EST on Sept. 3 as well. Team USA (4-0) will next face off against Lithuania (3-0) at 8:40 AM EST on Sept. 3.
Among those four teams, the two with the top overall record after two rounds will advance to the quarterfinals at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
