Basketball On The Internet.

THE world's current No.1 basketball player, Nikola Jokic, today broke the hearts of Australian fans, further raising the level of his game in overtime to lead Serbia to a 95-90 quarter-final victory, bringing the Boomers' Paris Olympic campaign to a sudden and decisive end.

It was devastation for the Aussies who forced the five-minute extension when Patty Mills hit a monster jumpshot with 1.4 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the match at 82-82.

He almost lost control of the ball on the play which started with 9.8 seconds left, the 212cm Jokic dwarfing Mills as he defended a shot that was never going to miss.

Then in the extension, Jack McVeigh's three tied it again at 85-85, Duop Reath put Australia in front, then Bogdan Bogdanovic tied it once more at 87-87.

Josh Giddey's 3-pointer gave the Boomers a 90-87 lead, Mills drew an offensive foul from Vasilije Micic but with a chance to extend the lead, Giddey's ill-conceived drive was blocked by Jokic.

That was the beginning of the end as Serbia scored the game's last eight points. Jokic with four of them in a row after Filip Petrusev's free throws.

Jokic was everywhere and in everything, stealing the ball back from Mills, swishing a hook for a 91-90 Serbian lead, grabbing several key defensive rebounds and even knocking a ball off the rim to leave Australia wondering what might have been.

Trailing 90-93 with 25.1 seconds in overtime, Australia took time-out to draw up a big late play. But whatever it was never eventuated as Giddey turned over the inbounds pass, the Boomers forced to foul, Bogdanovic hammering in the coffin nails from the stripe.

It was such a demoralising end to what started - and for a good quarter and a half - as Australia's most outstanding minutes of this disapppointing tournament.

Mills finished with 26 points at 54 per cent but his four turnovers stung, though not nearly as much as Giddey's seven in a team total of 20 that ensured Serbia was always in with a chance.

Jokic was simply magnificent, compiling 21 points at 53 per cent, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in a match-winning performance.

Boomers coach Brian Goorjian, recognising Josh Green and Nick Kay - for all their value - could not make a shot, slashed their playing time and inserted Reath for 22 minutes, more than he played altogether in Australia's three pool matches.

He also better utilised Dante Exum and was only forced to cut Dyson Daniels' playing time when he became a liability on offence. Defensively Daniels had Bogdanovic covered, the Serbian shooter doing most of his best work against other opponents.

Jock Landale's foul problems - he fouled out on a dreadful call with 9.8 seconds left in regulation - impacted his game but Reath, McVeigh and Will Magnay battled gamely regardless.

And Goorjian also had Mattnew Dellavedova in at all the right moments, going to his harassful strengths.

It was tight early, Giddey (25 points at 55 per cent, 3-of-5 threes, 5 rebounds, 4 assists but those hideous 7 turnovers) starting strongly and Exum's early insertion immediately also providing a Boomers boost as little separated the sides.

Just 2:33 out from the first break, Jokic scored his sixth point in a row for Serbia, bringing it to 17-19 ... and then the floodgates opened.

Exum drove and struck a jumper at 2:12, Mills hit a runner, then Dellavedova to Exum to Mills made it 26-17.

Another Mills three made it 29-17, his offence rewarding great hustling and harassing defence by the Aussies.

Two more Mills free throws meant Australia took a 31-17 lead into the first break, a 12-0 run in 132 seconds. It was magical and the Aussies weren't done yet.

Mills for three started the second period, then another unstoppable jumpshot before McVeigh found Reath for a dunk and a 37-17 lead.

This was vintage "FIBA Patty" as he drove and stuck another high-arching jumper for 39-17, Australia on a 20-0 explosion with Mills absolutely dynamite.

Exum to Landale for a slam, then a Reath 3-pointer blew the Boomers' lead out to 44-20 before Serbian coach Svetislav Pesic flayed his dumbstruck charges in a furious time-out.

It worked. Jokic led the onslaught as Serbia grafted back, Marko Guduric hitting big shots too and Australia turning the ball over.

On a 17-4 run, Serbia had it back to 37-48 before Giddey struck a triple and Exum completed a three-point play to restore a 54-37 Boomers buffer.

By halftime though, Serbia had its biggest deficit cut by half, from 24 to 12, trailing 42-54 but controlling the momentum.

Mills had 20 points at halftime on 8-of-11 shooting, Giddey 13 and Exum seven and four assists.

The signs were ominous though and so they proved as Serbia cut it back to 51-58 before Mills hit  a super-tough jumpshot.

But that's as much as the Boomers could find as Bogdanovic started firing, a Giddey turnover leading to a 3-pointer that drew Serbia to 56-60. Ognjen Dobric's three meant there was a mere point in it and Bogdanovic put Serbia in front at 61-60.

Scores were hung inexorably at 65-65 as a series of bad shots and more chaotic turnovers kept the Boomers from seizing back control, ultimately trailing 65-67 at the last break after being smashed 25-11 in the period.

McVeigh came up big in the final quarter but so did Micic for Serbia, Giddey's threeball tying it at 78-78. 

No sooner had he done that than he fouled Micic on a 3-point attempt, the Serb making it 81-78 from the stripe.

And just when you were ready to tear out some hair, Giddey's runner made it 80-81.

There still was time for Giddey and Mills misses before a Micic free throw gave Serbia the edge Mills erased with the Boomers last shot in regulation.

The match was there to be won but sadly, they couldn't do it. Just when you dared think they'd played their cards right, the Joker produced the winning hand and another Boomers Olympic campaign was royally flushed.

SERBIA 95 (Jokic 21, Bogdanovic 17, Micic 14, Guduric, Dobric 11, Avramovic 10; Jokic 14 rebs; Jokic 9 assts) d AUSTRALIA BOOMERS 90 (Mills 26, Giddey 25, McVeigh 13, Exum 12; Magnay, Landale 6 rebs; Exum 5 assts) in Paris.

MEN'S QUARTER-FINALS

Germany 76 d Greece 63, Serbia 95 d Australia 90 (O/T), France 82 d Canada 73, USA 122 d Brazil 87.

MEN'S INTRAGROUP RESULTS

Group A: Australia 92 d Spain 80, Canada 86 d Greece 79; Spain 84 d Greece 77, Canada 93 d Australia 83; Greece 77 d Australia 71, Canada 88 d Spain 85. Canada 3-0 (+20), Australia 1-2 (-4), Spain 1-2 (-8), Greece 1-2 (-8). Tied Teams Table: Australia 1-1 +6, Greece 1-1 -1, Spain 1-1 -5. Final Order: 1 Canada, 2 Australia, 3 Greece, 4 Spain.

Group B: Germany 97 d Japan 77, France 78 d Brazil 66; France 94 d Japan 90, Germany 86 d Brazil 73; Brazil 102 d Japan 84, Germany 85 d France 71. Germany 3-0 (+47), France 2-1 (+2), Brazil 1-2 (-7), Japan 0-3 (-42). Final Order: 1 Germany, 2 France, 3 Brazil, 4 Japan.

Group C: South Sudan 90 d Puerto Rico 79, USA 110 d Serbia 84; Serbia 107 d Puerto Rico 66, USA 103 d South Sudan 86; USA 104 d Puerto Rico 83; Serbia 96 d South Sudan 85. USA 3-0 (+64), Serbia 2-1 (+26), South Sudan 1-2 (-17), Puerto Rico 0-3 (-73). Final Order: 1 USA, 2 Serbia, 3 South Sudan, 4 Puerto Rico.

WOMEN'S QUARTER FINALS TOMORROW

Australia v Serbia (7pm AEST), Belgium v Germany.