The United States men's national basketball team already has one huge win under their belt at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Team USA beat Serbia by a score of 110-84 in their first game of the Group Phase. The Serbian team, which is led by NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, was viewed as USA's stiffest competition in Group C.
Although the game started off close, the United States inched away and finished with a decisive victory. Team USA has two more group play games before the quarterfinals take place.
Next up on the schedule is South Sudan, a team that gave the Americans some problems during exhibition play. In this article, we are going to explain everything you need to know about the United States next Olympic basketball game.
When is Team USA's second Group Phase game?
The United States will take on South Sudan on Wednesday, July 31, at 3 p.m. ET. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. in Paris. South Sudan is coming off an impressive 90-79 win in their first game against Puerto Rico. Olympic basketball games are hosted at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.
How to watch Team USA vs. South Sudan
The 2024 Paris Olympics are being broadcast by NBC. That means you can also stream the games with peacock or fuboTV. NBC.com, the NBC app, NBCOlympics.com, and the NBC Olympics app are other platforms you can use to catch the game.
Date: Wednesday, July 31 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Pierre Mauroy Stadium — Lille, France
TV channel: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
United States vs. South Sudan storylines
Serbia has been a threat to the United States in international basketball for years. The team made it all the way to the gold medal game back in the 2016 Olympics, but the United States were once again able to come out on top this go around. Serbia did come out hot, as they took an early 10-2 lead over the Americans.
Team USA was eventually able to figure things out and win in dominant fashion, largely on the back of Kevin Durant. The greatest player in Team USA history made his first eight shots en route to putting up 23 points. The game's leading scorer further extended his Team USA scoring record, and you have to wonder if head coach Steve Kerr will consider slotting him into the starting lineup now that he appears to be healthy.
Durant wasn't the only superstar on Team USA who had a brilliant performance. LeBron James also put up a jaw-dropping stat line. The NBA legend scored 21 points and also added nine assists and seven rebounds.
Overall, the United States made 18 of their 32 three-point attempts. Durant was 5-5 from deep, while Devin Booker hit four of his five shots from beyond the arc. Serbia was viewed as one of the teams who could give the United States a run for their money, but Team USA proved once again why they are the favorites to win gold.
The team will need to get off to better starts, though. Slow starts have been a trend for the United States dating back to their exhibition games before the Olympics. One such example was when Team USA battled against South Sudan in exhibition play. South Sudan went up by as many as 14 points against the Americans before Team USA climbed back into it to win 101-100.
The narrow victory relied on South Sudan missing not one but two would-be game-winners in the final possession. In that game, Marial Shayok scored 25 points, while Carlik Jones notched a triple-double. South Sudan now knows that they can compete with the United States, but Team USA wants to prove that they are a better team than what they showed in the first matchup, and they now have some momentum after beating Serbia.
South Sudan is on a journey that is bigger than basketball, though. The newest country in the world is playing basketball in the Olympics for the first time, and they just secured their first Olympics win over Puerto Rico. So, will the United States cruise to another dominant win, or will South Sudan give them a run for their money?
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