On Thursday, two of the top European teams faced off in the qualifying tournament for the upcoming 2023 World Cup. Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic and the Serbian national team took on Greece, which is led by former back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. As expected, these two NBA stars delivered for their respective teams, and they put on quite a show for the crowd in attendance.

In the end, it was Jokic's Serbia who prevailed, 100-94, after an epic battle that needed an extra period to decide a winner. Jokic and Giannis went at it all night long, and it resulted in a majestic battle between two of the top superstars in the NBA today (h/t Def Pen Hoops on Twitter):

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When it mattered the most, Jokic, the reigning two-time NBA MVP, got the better of Giannis, scoring back-to-back baskets over him at the mid-way point of overtime. This gave the Serbs a six-point cushion in the extra period, and it proved to be enough to defeat a determined Greek side.

In terms of the individual battle, it was actually Giannis who came out on top here, dropping a game-high 40 points on 12-of-18 shooting, which was Antetokounmpo's career high for the national squad. The Bucks All-Star also grabbed eight rebounds and dropped eight assists in another mind-blowing all-around performance.

Giannis' heroics were not enough, though, as Nikola Jokic led Serbia to a hard-fought victory with 29 points on a highly-efficient 9-of-13 from the floor. The Nuggets big man also logged eight boards and six dimes.

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