The United States men's basketball team has secured a chance at potentially winning a medal. After their dismantling of Brazil, Team USA is now in the semifinal of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans are set to take on Serbia for the second time in these Olympics. The United States have looked unstoppable so far, and they beat Serbia handily the first go around, but Serbia is one of the best teams in the field, and they are coming off of a momentum-inducing victory in the quarterfinal. So, in this article, we are going to detail everything you need to know about the semifinal game between the United States and Serbia.
When is Team USA's semifinal game?
The semifinal for Olympic basketball is on Thursday, Aug. 8. The Team USA vs. Serbia game is at 3 p.m. ET. The game, which will be located at Bercy Arena in Paris, France, will be tipping off at 9 p.m. in local time. The other semifinal game – France vs. Germany – is at 11:30 a.m. ET.
How to watch the United States vs. Serbia
NBC has broadcasting rights to the Paris Olympics, so you can catch this game on USA Network. It will also be available to stream on Peacock or fuboTV. Additionally, NBCOlympics.com will have access to the game.
Date: Thursday, Aug. 8 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Bercy Arena — Paris, France
TV channel: USA Network | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Serbia storylines
The United States' first game in the group phase was against Serbia. Although that game started relatively close, Team USA ended up winning by a score of 110-84. The blowout victory set the United States down a path of beating their Olympic opponents comfortably. However, Serbia is by far the best team they've played to this point, and the team led by Nikola Jokic has the talent to give the Americans a run for their money.
Jokic's squad is fresh off an exciting victory over Australia. The game went to overtime, and Serbia didn't seal the deal until Jokic hit a clutch shot with his patented Somber shuffle move late in overtime. The come from behind victory came after Serbia trailed by as much as 24 points, and the comeback included a 40-14 run.
Serbia now has some legitimate momentum after their thrilling win, and they are still looking for revenge after losing to Team USA in the gold medal game during the 2016 Olympics. In addition to Jokic, Serbia has Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic, and Vasilije Micic on the roster.
The Serbians are scoring 95.5 points per game, which is the second most in the Olympics. The one team they trail in that regard is Team USA, who is scoring 109.8 points per game. Even with the Serbians being legitimate threats, the United States are still heavy favorites.
United States storylines
Team USA hasn't had a close game yet, and their latest victory was arguably their most dominant so far. Kevin Durant has been the team's biggest star. The best player in Team USA history officially became the all-time leading scorer in United States history in the game against Brazil, on the women's or men's side of play. He surpassed Lisa Leslie for that honor.
Durant has been unconscious in Paris. The forward is averaging 14.8 points per game, and he has connected on 10 of his 16 shots from three-point land. That included makes on his first seven shots from deep. Amazingly, Durant isn't Team USA's leading scorer in these Olympics, though. That honor belongs to Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 16.8 points per game.
Edwards claimed he would be Team USA's top option before the Olympics started, and he has proven that in the team's last two games. Edwards has scored 45 points in the last two games combined. LeBron James has also performed excellently in the Olympics. He ranks third on his team in scoring (13.8), third in rebounds (5.8), and first in assists (7.8).
The United States has the recipe for beating Serbia. Not only did they already do it in these Olympics, but they beat the team to win gold back in 2016. Still, the semifinal game will likely prove to be their toughest game yet.
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