Milutinov leads Serbia to the World Cup final!

Serbia has made it to the 2023 World Cup final! Led by Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars, past and present, Serbia downed Canada 95-86 in Manila, Philippines to secure a medal and keep fighting for gold. Many Serbian players stepped up during the game but Olympiacos Piraeus center Nikola Milutinov was arguably his team's main pillar, finishing the game with 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting and 10 rebounds.

This will mark Serbia's first World Cup final since 2014. As part of former Yugoslavia, Serbia won five gold medals and now it has a chance to win the World Cup for the first time as an independent country.

Serbia started the game with two clear goals: run its offense through Milutinov due to his size advantage in the paint and get Canadian superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into early foul trouble. It succeeded in both tasks, as Milutinov led an opening 1-8 run and, once Canada bounced back, Gilgeous-Alexander headed to the bench with 2 fouls.

With Canada struggling to find a new go-to guy, EuroLeague champion Bogdan Bogdanovic and Partizan Mozzart bet guard Aleksa Avramovic fueled an 11-0 run that gave Serbia a 21-13 lead. Bogdanovic got plenty of help from Marko Guduric of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to boost the Serbian lead to double digits, 33-23.

When Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the floor, Serbia did not panic and went back to its original game plan, feeding Milutinov down low. He delivered with a couple of dunks and a pair of free throws. At halftime, Bogdanovic had 15 points, Milutinov 11 and 6 rebounds. Ognjen Dobric of Virtus Segafredo Bologna scored 10 points by then to give Serbia a 52-39 margin.

"I have never in my life seen the type of energy that Dobric and Avramovic brought," Guduric said after the game. "We all just tried to follow them and also be aggressive, but it all starts with the two of them. I hope they will sleep well the next two days and be ready for the final."

Canada had made very good halftime adjustments throughout the tournament and the semifinal was no exception. Serbia was ready, however, finding answers on offense through an unstoppable Dobric. Severe foul trouble forced Canada to get out of its usual rotation. Guduric and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz guard Vanja Marinkovic each struck from downtown for a 75-63 Serbian margin at the end of the third quarter. Canada never really recovered, as Bogdanovic made sure his team kept a safe lead until the final buzzer.

Bogdanovic led five players in double digits with 23 points. Dobric added 16, Guduric 12 and Avramovic 10. R.J. Barrett led Canada with 23 points.

Serbia is set to face either Germany or the United States, who go against each other in the second semifinal later on Friday. Germany aims to qualify to its first-ever World Cup final and the USA to challenge for its sixth title.