Dallas Mavericks: Boban Marjanovic benched in Serbia’s loss vs. Spain

Dallas Mavericks big man Boban Marjanovic played only a minute and a half in Serbia’s loss to Spain on Sept. 8. Read more about that game and what is next.

Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic and his native Serbia were looking like the favorites to win the 2019 FIBA World Cup. They were undefeated in four games with an average margin of victory of 40.8 points entering Sunday’s game. That ran their mark to 14-0 since exhibition play started this summer.

Serbia faced their toughest test yet on Sept. 8. They were playing against Spain to decide Group J. Both teams had already advanced to the quarterfinals. Sunday’s game was strictly for seeding purposes. Here is how it went down.

Spain pulls upset

Serbia once again got off to a fast start. They led 20-13 at the end of the first quarter. Spain fought back including scoring 32 points in the second period to pick up an 81-69 victory to wrap up the second round.

The game changed when Serbia inserted Boban Marjanovic. The 7’3 center saw his first action with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Serbia was ahead by seven points. Quickly, Spain went on an eight to two run to cut the lead to a single point. Boban was pulled just one minute and 16 seconds into the second period.

He never returned to the game, but Spain kept it rolling. They controlled the second quarter and had a 45-37 advantage at the half.

It was a night Serbia would like to forget as they head into the next round.

Up next

Serbia next game is on Tuesday against Argentina in the quarterfinals. Argentina is undefeated in their five games at the World Cup. They are led by former NBA forward Luis Scola. Dallas Mavericks fans can watch the game at 6:00 a.m. local time on ESPN+.

A win on Tuesday means Serbia would play on Sept. 13 in the semifinals. That game would likely be against Team USA. The United States has to win on Monday and beat either France or Australia on Wednesday, but that matchup is looming. If Serbia makes the semis, they would play in the bronze medal game with a loss.

It will be interesting to see how Serbia decides to use Boban Marjanovic and Nikola Jokic going forward. The Smoking Cuban will bring it all to fans, so return regularly to catch it.