EuroBasket opened Wednesday with mixed results from a Miami Heat perspective, with forward Nikola Jovic helping lead Serbia to a blowout victory over Estonia, but guard Pelle Larsson and Sweden falling to Finland.

Jovic, who has emerged as a featured component for the Serbs, who are favored to win the tournament that runs through mid-September, led Serbia with 18 points in a 98-64 victory in Latvia, one of four countries hosting the first-round of the continental event.

Jovic closed with 6 of 8 from the field, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, along with six assists and four rebounds in just 15:51, providing a frontline complement to Denver Nuggets MVP center Nikola Jokic, who closed with 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

“I think this was a very important game for us,” Jovic said in Serbian in his postgame interview. “The start is very important for us.

“We learned a lot from this game, not only the result, but also some of the details that we wanted to fix.”

Jovic said his goal is to play as a connector for a Serbia roster that also features several other NBA players beyond himself and Jokic.

“I am just here to connect those blocks, so they look as good as they can,” he said.

“I am one of the younger ones, and it’s on me to work and play to the best of my abilities.”

Against an opponent lacking NBA talent, Serbia raced to a 28-9 lead and rolled from there.

“We want more, more, more,” Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic said afterward.

The event is somewhat of a showcase for Jovic, the 2022 first-round pick who turned 22 in June and is contending for more of a featured Heat role this coming season.

Jovic and Serbia next face Portugal on Friday. The Portuguese roster features Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta.

📊 18 PTS | 6 AST | 4 REB

Nikola Jovic showing out in Serbia’s #EuroBasket opening day win! 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/VN1TaAUWZS

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 27, 2025

For Larsson, early foul trouble never allowed the 24-year-old guard to gain a rhythm in Sweden’s 93-90 loss to Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and host Finland.

Larsson, who fouled out in the final minute after drawing two fouls in the opening 2:05, finished Wednesday with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, missing all four of his 3-point attempts. He also had two rebounds and one assist in his 21:10.

Markkannen led Finland with 28 points.

For Larsson, foul trouble has been a concern since he joined the Heat out of Arizona in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft, with that issue again surfacing during what nonetheless otherwise was a breakout two weeks at summer league last month.

Sweden on Friday next faces a Germany roster that features current or former NBA players Isaac Bonga, Tristan Da Silva, Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis and Dennis Schroder.

The other Heat player participating in EuroBasket, Italy’s Simone Fontecchio, begins play in the event Thursday in a game against a Greece roster that features Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Fontecchio, who joined the Heat last month in the trade that sent Duncan Robinson to the Detroit Pistons, told Italian outlet Ilfoglio.it that he is primed for the European showcase.

“The NBA is work, the national team is fun,” Fontecchio said. “But without a medal, I wouldn’t be happy. It’s hard to be happy when you leave an event without a medal. If I said I was happy with a tenth-place finish coming home from the European Championships, I’d be saying a lot.”

Fontecchio is the lone current NBA player on Italy’s EuroBasket roster.

“Clearly it’s a responsibility, but above all it’s a privilege,” he said of playing on Italy’s national team at age 29. “I take it very serenely and happily, honestly, because it’s a role I enjoy. Clearly, it doesn’t happen to everyone, so I welcome it with a great sense of responsibility, pride, and positivity.”

Originally Published: August 27, 2025 at 4:18 PM EDT