It’s the United States versus Serbia in the USA Basketball Showcase exhibition ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics at 11 a.m. CT Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The Americans are coming off a closer-than-expected win on Monday against former Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey and Australia. Team USA held on for a 98-92 victory, with Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis leading the Americans with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Team USA won its showcase opener last Wednesday, 86-72 against Canada in Las Vegas.
Serbia, led by Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, is coming off an 84-73 loss to Australia on Tuesday.
Team USA is 36-3 all-time in pre-Olympic exhibition games.
Final Score: United States 105, Serbia 79
Team USA dominated the last three-quarters, outscoring Serbia 77-51, leading to a 26-point victory on Wednesday.
Steph Curry had 24 points, made six three-pointers, and shot 8-of-12 from the floor. Team USA contained Jokic to only eight points, seven rebounds, and a 3-of-10 shooting performance.
The United States is now 3-0 in its pre-Olympic showcase schedule.
Middle of fourth quarter: United States 97, Serbia 66
Vasilije Micic started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer for Serbia, but Team USA controlled the next five minutes. LeBron James highlighted the quarter with an alley-oop, extending the lead to 31 points.
End of third quarter: United States 83, Serbia 58
After struggling in the first 10 minutes, Team USA took command. Curry, Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Edwards combined for 49 of the United States’ 83 points. Curry and Edwards were 10 of 20 from the floor, and Adebayo grabbed six rebounds.
Middle of third quarter: United States 73, Serbia 55
Team USA executed well across all aspects during the third quarter. However, Marko Guduric and Ognjen Dobric hit back-to-back three-pointers for Serbia to cut the lead.
Halftime: United States 59, Serbia 45
Curry sparked a 19-5 run with a four-point play. Edwards followed with a three-pointer, extending the lead to seven. Curry had 18 points in the first half. Adebayo was solid off the bench, and Davis blocked several shots, leading to a 14-point advantage. Jokic had eight points and seven rebounds in the first half.
Middle of second quarter: United States 40, Serbia 40
Serbia started the second quarter with a 6-0 run, but James executed a three-point play. Two free throws from Joel Embiid, a layup from Jrue Holiday, and a Curry three-pointer tied the game at 40-40.
End of first quarter: United States 28, Serbia 28
Edwards put Team USA ahead with a step-back three-pointer and two free throws, but Serbia tied it at the buzzer with a layup.
Middle of first quarter: United States 13, Serbia 16
Curry started the game with a three-pointer, scoring the first nine points for Team USA, but they faced a 16-13 deficit midway through the quarter.
Team USA makes changes to starting lineup
Team USA will start Curry, Holiday, James, Jayson Tatum, and Embiid. Holiday returns to the lineup after Edwards started on Monday against Australia. Serbia will start Aleksa Avramovic, Guduric, Dobric, Filip Petrusev, and Jokic.
Report: Former Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski set to join Serbian club
Free agent Aleksej Pokusevski is set to return to Serbia according to Sportal. The Thunder drafted Pokusevski 17th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. He played 150 games with OKC before being traded to the Hornets in February for Gordon Hayward. Serbia’s national team member Vasilije Micic was also part of that trade.
Team USA vs. Serbia game details
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
TV: FS1
Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
USA Basketball Showcase schedule
July 10: USA 86, Canada 72
July 15: USA 98, Australia 92
July 17: USA vs. Serbia, 11 a.m. CT, FS1, Abu Dhabi
July 20: USA vs. South Sudan, 2 p.m. CT, Fox, London
July 22: USA vs. Germany, 2 p.m. CT, Fox, London
Team USA and Serbia basketball rosters
USA:
Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Anthony Edwards.
Serbia:
Vasilije Micic, Charlotte Hornets
Aleksej Pokusevski, Free agent
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks
Nikola Jovic, Miami Heat
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Vladimir Lucic, FC Bayern Munich
Marko Guduric, Fenerbahce Istanbul
Vanja Marinkovic, Partizan Belgrade
Ognjen Dobric, Virtus Bologna
Filip Petrusev, Olympiacos Piraeus
Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos Piraeus
Dusan Ristic, Lenovo Tenerife
Aleksa Avramovic, Partizan Belgrade
Ognjen Jaramaz, Partizan Belgrade
Dejan Davidovac, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Uros Plavsic, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade