Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Nikola Jovic Talked Smack During Serbia's 96-85 Rout Of South Sudan

Former Miami Heat forward Luol Deng's bid for South Sudan to advance to the next round fails as Serbia comes up with big fourth quarter. After the game Deng accuses officials of being biased toward European players.

Scott Salomon

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Serbia power forward Nikola Jovic (5) dunks against South Sudan power forward Majok Deng (13) in the third quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Serbia power forward Nikola Jovic (5) dunks against South Sudan power forward Majok Deng (13) in the third quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic had six points and two rebounds off the bench to help Serbia in a 96-85 victory against South Sudan.

Jovic showed some energy as the Serbs pulled away late. He hung on the rim for a few seconds after a powerful dunk. He was then jawed at the South Sudan defense.

With the loss, the Olympics are over for South Sudan. After the game former Heat forward Luol Deng called out the officiating. He said the game was too lopsided at the free throw line. Serbia was 21 of 31 from the free throw line. South Sudan only went to the line six times.

The post-game story was Deng's comments toward the game officials. Deng serves as the South Sudan Federation president.

Deng blasted the officiating as he called out for greater respect toward the African teams. He also questioned why none of the officials in the tournament were of African descent.

"I don't know why there are no African referees in the Olympics. It is 2024," Deng said to BasketNews. "Well, I don't know what's the reason for that? You could say whatever you wanna say. But you know, if we're representing the continent, we gotta be represented fully. And that's something that we gotta keep on working on."

He wasn't finished. He practically accused the referees of deciding the game.

Deng said, "If these referees are not familiar with our game or our style, then I don't know what the World Cup or the Olympics is. Is it just a European basketball style? And we're not allowed to be aggressive?"

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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Scott Salomon
SCOTT SALOMON

Scott Salomon joined FanNation on Sports Illustrated in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins channel. In June he joined Inside the Heat and Back in the Day NBA. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. Scott has covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services. Twitter: @ScottSalomonNFL