Jazz’s Jusuf Nurkic dominates in Bosnia’s FIBA World Cup Qualifiers win over Italy

Bosnia and Herzegovina took on Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifier on Friday and earned a big 78-76 win. Utah Jazz’s Jusuf Nurkic can be thanked for the team’s victory, as he went ballistic against Italy to keep Bosnia and Herzegovina alive in the tournament.

In just 22 minutes of playing time, the 32-year-old center led the way for Bosnia and Herzegovina, recording 25 points and 14 rebounds while hitting 11 of his 19 field goal attempts. It was a great outing from Nurkic, who clearly did everything in his power to keep his team in the mix.

Those numbers are well above Nurkic’s career averages in the NBA. In 41 games with the Jazz last season, the 12-year veteran averaged 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest. He recorded those numbers while shooting 50.3% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the three-point line.

We’re just past the halfway mark in the qualifying round for the FIBA World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina still has five matchups remaining on the schedule in the qualifiers. They are set to take on Lithuania on Monday, August 31, then won’t play again until November 26 against Iceland.

The November game might be difficult for Jusuf Nurkic to make, as the NBA season will be underway. However, timing and scheduling for the upcoming campaign may change for the FIBA World Cup games. Bosnia and Herzegovina is tied for last place in Group J with just five games remaining in the qualifying round.

The official FIBA World Cup tournament does not begin until next summer, as it will play out from August 27 to September 12. The tournament will take place in four different cities in Qatar, where 32 teams will battle it out for the championship.