Team USA ran away from Serbia for a 105-79 exhibition game victory on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi to improve to 3-0 on the team’s pre-Olympics tour.
USA Basketball continued its showcase tour Wednesday with a significant exhibition game against Serbia. The United States got off to a hot start in its preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, picking up wins over talented squads like Canada and Australia.
Stephen Curry was relatively quiet offensively during the U.S. Olympic team’s first two exhibitions before the Paris Games. He became more assertive on Wednesday with his official Olympic debut less than two weeks away. Curry scored 24 points, Bam Adebayo added 17 and the U.S. beat Serbia 105-79 to improve to 3-0 in its five-game slate of exhibitions ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Anthony Davis scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked six shots, leading a strong U.S. defense in a win against Serbia. Anthony Edwards had 16 points and LeBron James added 11. The U.S. led by as many as 31 points in their final warmup game in Abu Dhabi. Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Serbia. The U.S. will now play tuneup games in London against South Sudan and Germany before heading to France. Both teams are in Group C for the Olympics and will face each other on July 28.
After nearly squandering a big lead in its narrow victory over Australia on Monday, there was no such letdown for the U.S. this time. The Americans led by 25 after three quarters and quickly increased it to 30 in the final quarter.
Head coach Steve Kerr used the tune-up games as an excuse to test out different starting lineups, slotting players around the trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid with star forward Kevin Durant sidelined due to a calf injury.
Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, and Jrue Holiday all got their shot at the starting five. Anthony Davis had been Team USA’s best player through the first two games despite coming off the bench.
The United States got an early look at one of its Group Stage opponents for the Paris Games when it took on Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
The Red, White, and Blue came away with their most dominant win yet, picking up a 105-79 victory behind a 24-point explosion from Stephen Curry.
Team USA basketball Olympics 2024 schedule :
Team USA will begin its Olympic journey against the Nikola Jokic-led Serbia. Matchups against South Sudan and Puerto Rico will follow the opening game.
[…] The U.S. men had comfortably taken both previous matchups, winning an exhibition in Abu Dhabi 105-79 and the opening game of group play, 110-84. But in this semi-final, Serbia almost won this […]