Jalen Hood-Schifino Hits Buzzer-Beater to Beat Serbia in Dramatic Friendly

On August 23, 2026, Serbia and France faced off in a highly anticipated basketball friendly featuring strong rosters. The game ended dramatically with Jalen Hood-Schifino, star of Maccabi Tel Aviv, scoring a buzzer-beater to secure France's victory. This decisive basket came moments after what appeared to be a game-winning shot by Serbia's Marko Gudurić. However, Serbia's defense faltered significantly in the final possession, drawing widespread criticism despite the match being a friendly.

European media and fans sharply criticized Serbia's defensive lapse. The French outlet 50 Nuances remarked that Serbia "forgot the concept of defense" in the crucial moment. Sergio Leiva from Mundo Deportivo called it a "crazy lapse" by Serbia, while Ivan Bass of DAZN described the defensive breakdown as "embarrassing." Fans of the Denver Nuggets also expressed surprise at Nikola Jokić's passive defense during the final play, noting that he stood still instead of contesting the shot, contributing to the loss.

Serbian media acknowledged that despite overcoming a 19-point deficit earlier, the team's defense in the final possession was poor, allowing Hood-Schifino to calmly score the winning basket. Meridian, a Serbian outlet, highlighted the defensive failure and Hood-Schifino's decisive basket in the friendly. The game underscored defensive issues for Serbia, even as they showed offensive resilience earlier in the match.