Jalen Hood-Schifino Wins France Victory Over Serbia With Buzzer-Beater Against Nikola Jokic

Jalen Hood-Schifino, star of Maccabi Tel Aviv, scored a dramatic game-winning layup for France in a 91-90 victory over Serbia in a friendly basketball match on August 23, 2026. With 4.7 seconds left, Serbia's Marko Guduric gave his team a brief 90-89 lead, but Victor Wembanyama quickly advanced the ball, catching the Serbian defense off guard as Nikola Jokic did not fall back on defense. Hood-Schifino received a precise pass from Silvayn Francisco and finished with the winning basket at the buzzer.

Hood-Schifino started the game and played 11 minutes, scoring 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting with 3 rebounds, but his final shot was the highlight. Jokic led Serbia with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Wembanyama contributed 18 points for France. Francisco led the French with 20 points, and Timothy Luwawu-Cabarrot added 19. Serbia's Nikola Jovic and Guduric scored 13 and 11 points respectively.

France built a 54-35 halftime lead, but Serbia rallied, with Jokic narrowing the gap and Serbia briefly taking the lead before Rudy Gobert's dunk gave France a 6-point advantage. The game ended with Hood-Schifino's memorable buzzer-beater. The match took place in France shortly after Serbia had beaten France 90-87 in Serbia. Both teams will next compete in World Cup qualifiers later this month, with France facing Slovenia and Sweden, and Serbia playing Iceland and Italy.