Macedonia crushed Austria 91:59 for an eighth straight win, and Jokic played after three days ill

Macedonia crushed Austria in Vienna 91:59 and counts an eighth straight win

There are wins you read in the scoreline and wins you read in the manner. The Macedonian men's basketball team opened the second round of pre-qualifying for EuroBasket 2029 with 91:59 in Vienna, a game in which control was taken immediately and Austria never came back. It is an eighth consecutive win in official matches under FIBA for the side coached by Josep Maria Berrocal. The top-scoring Macedonian was Viktor Efremovski, who nonetheless passed the credit elsewhere. "The most important thing was that we played good defence, and I think that was exactly the key to the game. We were finally almost at full strength and that means a lot to us," he said. February brings Cyprus and Austria again, with the goal of finishing first in the group and reaching the qualifiers. A run this good here usually lasts exactly until the first hard game - this time it is worth checking whether something has changed.

Jokic played after three days ill and still would not leave his team

Serbia beat Italy 76:64 in World Cup qualifying, and Nikola Jokic finished with just eight points in 24 minutes - an atypically poor night for a man who plays as if he sees two seconds into the future. Coach Dusan Alimpijevic explained why at the press conference: "This gentleman next to me, Nikola Jokic, our captain, has been very ill these past three days. He refused to pull out and leave his team on its own. He came to play and never complained once." With two wins in the August window Serbia climbed to second in Group J with a 6-2 record and four matches left. In November Italy await again, then Lithuania - and the chance to seal qualification mathematically.

Turkey first into Qatar, and its second-highest scorer was born in Ohrid

Turkey has become the first national team to secure a place at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, and did so with a perfect 8-0 record in European qualifying. Ergin Ataman's side beat Lithuania 94:66 in the fourth window, then Iceland 110:73, while the signature triumph came in March against Serbia in Istanbul - 94:86. The leading scorer is Tarik Biberovic with 17.8 points per game, with Cedi Osman right behind on 16.3. Osman, for anyone who missed it, was born in Ohrid. The Balkans keeps producing the talent, and the flag it plays under gets decided somewhere later.

The EuroCup threw out Monaco, and Bosna from Sarajevo took its place

It is not every day that a French champion is thrown out of European competition over paperwork. AS Monaco failed to meet the conditions of the EuroCup regulations and has been struck from the competition, with its place in Group D taken by Bosna BH Telecom Sarajevo, the current champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosna returns to the EuroCup for the first time since the 2007/08 season - the same one in which it played the longest game in the competition's history, a 141:127 defeat to Alba Berlin after five overtimes, with Kyle Hill on court for 53 minutes and 18 seconds. The French basketball federation refused an urgent review of the case, so Monaco is out of professional competition and at best plays in the third tier. The Balkans got a place in Europe because somebody else did not finish their paperwork - worth remembering the next time quality and merit come up.

MZT signed an American who wants nothing but wins: "I found my home away from home"

Macedonian champions MZT Skopje presented Leslee Warner, an American forward who played in Greece last season. The first impressions are exactly what you expect from a new signing in September: "I like the team, the atmosphere, the city is great and the food is excellent. I think I've found my home away from home." He says he was brought in to score, but that defence is his strong suit and he can guard players across several positions. "My only wish is wins and championship titles," he says. The team leaves tomorrow for a mini-camp in Gevgelija, and the first friendly is on Sunday, 6 September, against Kozhuv. The quotes are always the same at the start of a season. The difference shows in March.