After Team USA defeated Brazil in a blowout performance with a final score of 122-87, Anthony Davis shared his thoughts on what his team needs to do in their upcoming rematch against Serbia. The Americans easily crushed the Brazilians despite LeBron James getting stitched up in the third quarter. Devin Booker was the star of the show leading the with 18 points. Assisting Booker on the offensive were Anthony Edwards (17 points), Joel Embiid (14 points), and Davis (13 points).
Satisfied with their performance, Davis briefly jotted down the keys to their success against Brazil. He recognizes that his team consists of a plethora of prolific scorers. His job, alongside Embiid, is to hustle for the ball and create scoring opportunities for their guards. Davis also commended Embiid for an impeccable performance despite the negative reception he would get from the French fans. As long as the two big men can deliver and efficiently support their guards, Davis believes those factors will help them come out on top against Serbia in the semi-finals.
We have a lot of scoring guards, it's our job to give them second chance opportunities, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, blocks, just do our parts,” Anthony said. “(Joel Embiid) has been aggressive, dominant and that's what we're gonna need in the next game. He came out ready to play, obviously the crowd booing him feeds into it, he embraces it, and he's been the spark on our team.
Can Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid shut Nikola Jokic down?
After winning four games in a row from the group phase to the quarterfinals, Team USA is advancing to the semi-finals with all the momentum on their side. Matching up against them in the semis is none other than Serbia, who they defeated in their first game of the 2024 Olympics.
Team USA is undoubtedly stacked given that their entire lineup consists of NBA players. However, Serbia has proven to be a worthy foe to the Americans. Despite getting blown out by them in the quarterfinals, the game was close throughout the first half of their game. This was thanks to the efforts of the reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
As expected, Jokic was a beast on the court against Team USA. He put up 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals. His efforts helped keep the game within reach. Unfortunately, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and the rest of the Americans played solid defense, which put a stop to Serbia's resurgence.
Given these factors, it's clear that Davis understands that the key of the big men is to keep the pressure on the Serbians. Jokic and his crew proved that they have what it takes to keep up despite the lack of star power. With that in mind, Davis and Embiid will need to pull out all the stops to stop Jokic in his tracks. The Serbian big man is undeniably the core of his team. As long as Team USA's scorers knock down their shots, while the big men deliver on clean-up duty, the Americans should be able to keep Serbia down.
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