Stephen Curry revealed what he thinks was the key to their success against Serbia on Thursday. Curry was arguably the hero of Team USA after barely escaping defeat at the hands of Serbia. Throughout the matchup, the Americans struggled to gain a lead over the Serbians. From the first to the third quarter, Serbia had Team USA's number, and all hope seemed lost. However, come the fourth quarter, the Americans found their rhythm and managed to steal the game from the Serbians.
Curry explained that it was thanks to their defense that they were able to find their rhythm on offense again. The moment the Americans pulled out some stops against Serbia, that's when life slowly started coming back to them. While Team USA is undoubtedly relieved to come out on top, Curry acknowledged how remarkable the Serbians were as opponents.
Once you have life on defense, it usually fuels your offense,” Curry said. “You get stops, and the game starts to connect. They came out and hit some amazingly tough shots in the first half, and you gotta give credit to them, they are a really good team, and it's hard to beat a team three times.
Stephen Curry saves Team USA
While all hope seemed lost in the matchup between Team USA and Serbia, the Americans managed to come back in a narrow 95-91 victory. Big props go to Stephen Curry for keeping the game within reach thanks to his exceptional shooting prowess.
Curry was on fire against Serbia on Thursday. He dropped 36 points and had efficient shooting percentages of 64.3% from three-point land and 63.2% overall. We already had a feeling that Steph was going to have a big game, especially when he traded numerous three-pointers against the Serbians in the first quarter. However, out of the nine long-distance shots he made, it was the dagger in the fourth quarter that mattered the most.
Team USA scratched and clawed their way to victory throughout the game. It wasn't until late in the fourth quarter that the Americans caught up to the Serbians. Then with 2:25 remaining in the game, LeBron James found an open Curry to take the three-point bomb, which ultimately put them back in the game. Team USA regained an 87-86 lead after Steph's big-time shot. This was arguably the team's energizer, which led to everyone else hitting their shots.
LeBron James and Joel Embiid helped Curry seal the deal
While everyone is thankful ‘Chef' Curry showed up on Thursday, he couldn't have done it without the help of LeBron James and Joel Embiid. As usual, James took over the role of floor general and helped create opportunities for his team. He also added some scoring efforts while dominating the boards. James came up with a triple-double outing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Meanwhile, Embiid dealt the most damage with his scoring. He ended up with 19 points, which was a huge assist to Curry's scoring efforts. Curry, Embiid, and James were the only players in Team USA to be in double-scoring figures. With that said, the Americans might've lost to Serbia if Steph took care of the offensive load alone. The Serbians proved to be offensive threats with their remarkable shooting and playmaking. All shots were falling for Serbia, hence why the USA struggled to gain a lead in the first place.
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