Before the Paris Games, in the U.S. Olympic team’s first two exhibition games, Stephen Curry was rather quiet on offense.
With fewer than two weeks until his formal Olympic debut, he became much more forceful on Wednesday.
With 24 points from Curry and 17 from Bam Adebayo, the United States defeated Serbia 105-79 to move to 3-0 in their five exhibition games leading up to the Olympics in Paris.
With seven points, six rebounds, and six blocks throughout the game, Anthony Davis contributed to the U.S. defense’s effort to keep Serbia in check the entire time. With 16 points was Anthony Edwards. LeBron James scored eleven more.
James claimed that Curry’s burst of scoring the opening nine points for the United States was intentional.
James remarked, “We drew it up for that specific reason, to get him going.” When he watches one go through the hoop, you can imagine the opportunities that presents for the remainder of his game and ours as well. He established the mood.
In the final of two exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the United States had a lead of up to 31 points. Before traveling to France, the Americans play two more tune-ups in London. The first is on Saturday against South Sudan, while the second is on Monday at London’s O2 Arena against Germany.
Coach Steve Kerr of the United States is pleased with his team’s growth and believes that their ability to overwhelm opponents with several defensive looks will be crucial.
“I believe that our depth defines our identity as a team, and it is our strength,” Kerr remarked. “It makes sense to play that way if we can play in 4- or 5-minute spurts of strong defense, hitting bodies, rebounding, and being physical. We’ll try to continue doing that.
After an erratic first quarter, the United States used a 16-2 run in the second quarter to grab a 56-42 lead and led 59-45 at the half.
For Serbia, Nikola Jokic finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Aleksa Avramovic contributed 14 more points. After losing to Australia on Tuesday, when skipper Bogdan Bogdanovic was rested, Serbia was playing its second game in two days.
LINEUP TRANSACTION
After switching up their starting lineup for the third time, the United States went with Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Curry.
Throughout the three exhibitions, Curry, James, and Embiid have been the only constants.
Embiid’s inclusion on the team was partly motivated by the American coaching staff’s aim to compete against larger teams, such as Serbia, which has three players who are 7 feet tall.link