This rivalry isn't cooling off, it's escalating. Serbia beat France 90-87 in Belgrade on Thursday behind a near triple-double from Jokic (20 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists), and Wembanyama, playing his first game in the France jersey since the Paris Olympics as the team's new captain, finished quiet by his standards at 10 points on 6 turnovers. Three days later they ran it back in Orleans, and this time Wembanyama had an answer.
France came out with Sylvain Francisco, Evan Fournier, Terry Tarpey, Jaylen Hoard and Wembanyama in the starting five, and it didn't take long for the young center to make his presence felt on the other end of the floor. On back-to-back Serbia possessions, Wembanyama met Jokic at the rim and sent his shot away both times, a statement sequence against the guy who'd just dropped 20 on him days earlier.
Victor Wembanyama erases Nikola Jokic’s shots twice in a row as France builds an ealy lead on Serbia 🚫 (via @Spurs_Latam) #FIBAWC #StepItUp https://t.co/A962mNGx3h
France carried that momentum well past the opening minutes. The Bleus needed every bit of it, too, because Jokic doesn't just go away — he's proven that twice in a week now. Serbia clawed back and made it a real fight, and this one went down to the wire in Orleans.
France's offense wasn't just Wembanyama highlight reels, either. Crisp ball movement set up easy buckets throughout, including a one-handed slam that came off a sequence of sharp passing rather than a hero-ball possession.
Elite ball movement from France leads to the Wemby one-hand slam 💯 France is battling Serbia in a friendly game for FIBA World Cup Qualifiers Window 4! (via @FIBAWC) https://t.co/TPTB5Lamgo
France ultimately rallied in the fourth quarter and escaped with a 91-90 win at CO'Met Arena, evening the exhibition series at a game apiece heading into the actual FIBA World Cup Qualifiers window, which kicks off August 27 on Courtside 1891. Jokic himself has already waved off any Wemby-vs-him individual rivalry talk after the first game, and after these two split a pair of one-possession classics in the span of 3 days, it's easy to see why he'd rather keep the story about the teams. The qualifiers are going to feel like a letdown after this.