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

On August 23, 2026, 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 preparatory basketball match held in France. With just 4.7 seconds remaining, 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 to defend. Hood-Schifino received a precise pass from Silvain Francisco and completed the winning layup at the buzzer.

Hood-Schifino, who started the game, finished with 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes, but his final basket 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 team with 20 points, and Timothy Luwawu-Cabarrot added 19. Serbia's Nikola Jovic and Marko Guduric scored 13 and 11 points respectively.

France had built a halftime lead of 54-35, but Serbia fought back, with Jokic narrowing the gap and Serbia briefly taking the lead before Rudy Gobert's dunk restored a six-point advantage for France. The game was a rematch following Serbia's narrow 90-87 win over France in Serbia days earlier. Both teams are preparing for upcoming World Cup qualifiers at the end of the month, with France facing Slovenia and Sweden, and Serbia playing Iceland and Italy.