Connect with us
Burn+

2024 Paris Olympics

Team USA crushes Serbia 105-79 for 3rd exhibition win

© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Team USA put together its best showing yet in its third exhibition game today, a 105-79 win over Nikola Jokic and Serbia in Abu Dhabi.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

The Americans went with their third different starting lineup in as many games today. Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James and Joel Embiid started today’s game, as Suns superstar Kevin Durant missed his third consecutive game with a calf strain and still has not played for Team USA with only two more exhibitions to go before the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The main bench unit for the U.S. consisted of Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis with Derrick White having some spot minutes as well.

This game was a preview of what the U.S. will see in the Olympics, as both Serbia and USA are in Group C and will play each other in both of their first game of the Olympics on July 28.

Curry put on a show with his scoring in this game, finishing with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Adebayo added 17 points (3-for-5 from 3) and eight rebounds off the bench. Adebayo and Davis proved to be a defensive nightmare together, as Davis finished with seven points, six rebounds and six blocks. Edwards had 16 points and three steals.

The Americans lowered their turnover total to 12 after 18 Monday against Australia and shot 52.9% from the floor and 29.4% from 3.

For Serbia, Jokic had 16 points in 6-of-19 shooting and 11 rebounds. The Serbians only shot 40.8% from the field and 29.4% from 3.

Game Flow

Curry had the first nine points for Team USA after only scoring three points in Monday’s win over Australia. However, Serbia started off the game hot with an early 8-0 run after Curry’s nine points to take a 14-9 lead. The Serbians got a lot of easy runs to the rim in the first quarter by speeding up the game and it was tied heading into the second quarter at 28. Edwards had seven off the bench for the U.S. in the quarter, while Aleksa Avramovic had a team-high eight points for Serbia, who shot 10-of-19 (52.6%) in the first as a team and looked much more prepared than the Americans.

Serbia scored the first six points of the second quarter. Curry kept the U.S. in the game and gave them a 44-40 lead with another stretch of nine-straight points. This started a 16-2 run that the bench continued when Curry went out to take a 56-42 advantage. Curry had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting at halftime and the U.S. was up 59-45 at the break. Adebayo added 12 points and three rebounds off the bench, while Davis had four blocks. The Americans shot 8-of-15 from 3 in the first half compared to 4-of-15 for Serbia, who had 26 points in the paint to USA’s 14.

Team USA continued to pour it on to start the second half, scoring the first 12 points of the third quarter. The Americans led 83-58 at the end of the third quarter, as the game was pretty much over after this run to start the third. Here were some of the best plays of a highlight-reel second half for the U.S.:

Next Up

Team USA will now travel to London for its last two exhibition games ahead of the Olympics and plays next on Saturday at 12 p.m. MST against South Sudan. The game will be televised on FOX.

Team USA scrapes past Australia 98-92, once again faces turnover problems

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*

Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

Related Topics

Burn City Radio

More in 2024 Paris Olympics