Serbia is an overwhelming favourite to beat South Sudan on Saturday and punch its ticket to the quarterfinals — and Nikola Jokic is the main reason why.
The pregame narrative: The three-time NBA MVP has unsurprisingly been the most valuable player for Serbia, leading the team in points, rebounds and assists. Jokic was one assist shy of a triple-double in Wednesday's matchup against Puerto Rico.
Check out these Jokic Olympics props for the Aug. 3 game between Serbia and South Sudan.
Jokic Olympics props vs. South Sudan
Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.
| Jokic markets | Betting odds |
| Over 21.5 points | -118 |
| Under 21.5 points | -118 |
| Over 10.5 rebounds | -118 |
| Under 10.5 rebounds | -118 |
| Over 8.5 assists | -112 |
| Under 8.5 assists | -125 |
| Over 1.5 steals | -139 |
| Under 1.5 steals | +100 |
| Over 40.5 points/rebounds/assists | -112 |
| Under 40.5 points/rebounds/assists | -125 |
| To record a double-double | -240 |
| To record a triple-double | +500 |
Go to full Serbia vs. South Sudan betting markets.
Last summer, when Serbia and South Sudan met at the FIBA World Cup, Serbia came away with a 22-point win. And that was without Jokic.
Serbia's moneyline odds for Saturday's game (-1,250) strongly suggest that the team can win without its best player again. That gives me some pause about hammering any of the overs on Jokic's prop markets.
Jokic only played 23 of 40 minutes in Serbia's 41-point blowout win over Puerto Rico. He was exceptionally efficient, mind you, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting while adding 15 boards and nine assists.
Assuming Serbia can run up a nice lead against South Sudan, there'd be no reason to expect Jokic to play extended minutes — especially since the Group C title is out of reach.
Best Jokic prop bet
Best bet: Under 10.5 rebounds (-118)
Betting unders are less exciting than the alternative, but sometimes they just make sense.
Yes, Jokic just snatched 15 rebounds in only 23 minutes last game against Puerto Rico, but he'll face a much different matchup against South Sudan.
Puerto Rico, which only has one play over 6-foot-8, is dead last in the Olympics in rebounds per game (30.5). South Sudan has five players over 6-foot-8 and is currently the tournament's top rebounding team (48.0 RPG).
Against a tall and tough USA squad in the tourney opener, Jokic finished with just five rebounds in 31 minutes. If the matchup isn't right, he's not a lock to dominate the glass.
But really, this pick isn't meant as a knock on the reigning MVP. It's more about the fact that South Sudan has plenty of length and Serbia should be able to lighten Jokic's workload in a game with major blowout potential.
Key stat: No Serbian player went over 10.5 rebounds in last year's World Cup match against South Sudan. And no opposing player has cleared that total against South Sudan through its first two Olympic games.
