The Olympiacos big man led his team in scoring on Wednesday
Serbia’s Filip Petrusev had his Olympic star turn against Puerto Rico
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Serbia claimed an impressive first win at the Olympic Games on Wednesday by crushing Puerto Rico 66-107 at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. All 12 Serbia players scored, but leading the way for the winners was Olympiacos Piraeus big man Filip Petrusev, who finished the game with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
The numbers were impressive, especially considering his 7 for 9 shooting. Petrusev posted a PIR of 20, which was second on the team to NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. What makes those numbers stand out even more is the fact that Petrusev did it all in just 16 minutes, which were the fourth-fewest among the Serbians.
Petrusev was active from the start, securing a defensive rebound on the game’s first possessions and taking a Jokic pass for a second-chance score for the game’s first points. He had 8 points in the game’s first 3 minutes as Serbia went ahead 4-10 and would add yet another bucket before taking his first rest.
The big man added a jumper and a free throw late in the second quarter to help Serbia take a commanding 35-52 halftime advantage. Petrusev scored once more in the third quarter before taking a seat for good. He was not needed at all in the game’s final quarter and a half.
Serbia has one more game remaining against South Sudan in Group C on Saturday night and Coach Pesic knows he can count on Petrusev to deliver again when needed.