USA played against Team Serbia in their pre-Olympic friendly exhibition and Team USA came out on top. In the Group C preliminary rounds, Team USA and Serbia faced each other again and the outcome remained the same. After missing most of Team USA’s pre-Olympic games, the Olympian star, Kevin Durant brought his A game to this debut game with an incredible first half performance. Finally, Team USA finished with a massive 26-point lead against Team Serbia to seal their debut Paris Olympic win. What are some key takeaways from this debut game?
2024 Paris Olympics Recap: USA vs. Serbia
The Serbian basketball team came off strong in the first quarter of the game. In the first three minutes, the Serbian team dominated the game going up 10-2 with Aleksa Avramovic leading the team in points. However, two minutes later, Devin Booker made a crucial three-pointer that put Team USA close to the lead. A LeBron James layup maintained the USA’s dominance. The US team was now leading by two points 14-12.
Despite taking the lead the Serbian team kept pressuring the opposing team’s defense and took the lead. Thus, Head Coach Steve Kerr brought in Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, and Bam Adebayo which changed the game’s trajectory.
Kevin Durant’s Performance Against Team Serbia
Durant, Edwards, and Adebayo came in with approximately three minutes left in the first quarter which switched the tone of the game. Team Serbia was leading 20-14 when Kevin Durant started his offensive run with a Bam Adebayo and LeBron James assist. The 35-year-old forward’s performance tied USA with Serbia 20-20. Finally, toward the end of the first quarter, an Edwards dunk solidified USA’s lead 25-20.
In the second quarter, Kevin Durant’s explosive jumpers and three-point performance plummeted Nikola Jokic and Ognjen Dobric’s offensive efforts. Finally, the two-time NBA champ finished his first half run with a splash jumper that increased the lead against Team Serbia.
At the end of the first half, Kevin Durant put up 21 points, shooting 8-of-8 from the field and 5-of-5 on three-pointers. Also, the two-time NBA MVP’s performance contributed to the team’s overall performance. Team USA finished the first half leading 58-49. Also, due to Kevin Durant’s shooting efficiency, the US basketball team made 65.6% in field goals and 66.7% in three-pointers during the first half of the game.
Key Takeaways as Team USA Sealed The Game
Kevin Durant made two free throws to finish the game with 23 points and missed one jumper from the right side of the charity stripe. LeBron James almost got a triple double at the end of the game as he had 21 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while shooting 9-of-13 from the field.
Also, Jrue Holiday’s 3-and-D performance helped the team dominate on both sides of the court. He got 15 points, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals. From the field, Holiday shot 6-of-8 and 3-of-5 from downtown. On the other hand, Stephen Curry was a bit quiet as he only made three of his seven three-point attempts. Also, Joel Embiid was quiet as he only scored four points.
Team Serbia struggled mainly offensively as the team couldn’t convert their steals into crucial points. At the end of the game, the Serbian team had 12 steals, yet, most of these steals were converted into defensive rebounds for the USA. Nikola Jokic led the team with 20 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, shooting 53.3% from the field with 1-of-6 three-point attempts.
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