Team USA 95 - 91 Serbia summary, scores, stats and highlights | Olympic Mens’ basketball semifinals
Down 13 gong into the final 10 minutes, needing a comeback, who stepped up for Team USA? The NBA's All-time leading scorer, the greatest shooter the game has ever seen and USA basketball's all time leading Olympic scorer. It's tough to imagine a team beating a roster with these three guys on it, but Serbia almost did.
Let's take our hats off to Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and the rest of the Serbian team. They didn't just come out and compete. They almost beat one of the greatest teams ever assembled. LeBron needed a triple-double and Steph Curry had to score 36 points to beat the Serbians. There is no question the world in catching up to the United States, but the job isn't done. The host nation France will have their crack at the Americans on Saturday from Bercy Arena in Paris at 3:00 p.m. ET. You're going to want to make sure you mark your calendars. That's a can't miss game.
You had to know when Team USA needed it most, they were going to go to the greatest player of this generation. LeBron has come in during clutch time time and time against for this team. He hadn't needed to in the Olympics but when they needed him against Serbia he was there to tie the game up. He had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assist. He joins a list of just two other players to record a triple double at the Olympics. Alexander Belov, Luka Doncic and oh yea, LeBron James were the only other players to do so. He's going to have a lot of nights that go down as career defining night, but at 39 years old, on a night when Curry has 36, he was perfect.
This was the moment that changed the game. Just before Booker's three pointer, Kevin Durant hit a three ball and Jokic was called for his fourth foul on the night. Booker hit the three ball to cut the lead from 11 to 5. You could sense that Team USA never lost belief and this was the moment that Serbia started to see some cracks in the armor.
It wasn't just Steph, it wasnt' just LeBron, Joel Embiid had his finest hour in Team USA colors. He had 19 points on 8/11 shooting and gave Jokic fits on the defensive end all night. Jokic had 4 fouls early in the fourth quarter, and that was a huge factor down the stretch.
Nikola Jokic and Serbia were tremendous the entire game, but maybe just ran out of gas or ran out of luck from downtown. They could barely miss from downtown in the first three quarters, but their hot shooting came to an end in the final 10 minutes.
Jokic had 17, 5 and 11 assists, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 and Aleksa Avramovic had 15 hitting 4/6 threes. It was a near perfect game. But it wasn't perfect enough, and the Serbians gave up a 13 point lead going into the third quarter.
Just sit back and marvel and the excellence of Stephen Curry. It's hard to outshine an Olympic triple double which is what LeBron had, but Curry's nine three pointer effort is with out question one of the best performances we have ever seen in the Olympic games.
Team USA survived a Serbian scare and needed a 13 point comeback in fourth quarter to advance to their fifth straight Olympic gold medal match. Steph Curry was unstoppable scoring 36 points hitting 9 of 14 threes in the 95-91 win.
Serbia came out scorching from the field, hitting 5 of their first 6 threes and 7 of their first 11 in the first half, but Curry carried his side out of the gate, dropping 17 points in the opeing quarter. Despite Curry's heroics Team USA trailed by 8 after the first ten minutes of play.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!!
TEAM USA ARE HEADED TO THEIR FIFTH STRAIGHT OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL MATCH!!!!
Curry to the line after Serbia took too long to foul him and he hits both FTs with 8.2 to go. That's 36 points for Curry!
KD off the dribble with a hand in his face and he hits it from a step inside the three point line!
Boganovic off the dribble and he gets the runner and the foul on Embiid! FT is good and it's a 2 point game with 56 seconds to go!
KD poked it away from Bogdanovic and Serbia gets called for the back court violation! The wheels are falling apart for Serbia!
Curry with the steal off the bad pass form Bogdanovic and he takes it all the way for the steal and score!
Timeout Serbia with 1:41 to go!
James with the rebound and he goes coast to coast to complete his triple double and give Team USA a three point lead!
Curry on the catch and shoot from the top of the key and he drills it to give the US the lead! He's got 32!
Jokic slips it back door to Petrusev for the two handed slam on the baseline.
LeBron puts his head down, gets to the bucket and finishes the lay up off the glass!
Timeout Serbia and we are tied with 3:39 to go!
Under 4:00 to go.
Embiid on the fade away and he hits it from outside the lane over Jokic.
Embiid shielding off Milutinov and he gets the lay up and the foul FT is good to a chorus of boos from the French fans.
Under 5:00 to go.
Bogdanovic with the offensive board and he slips it to Jokic for the wide open lay up.
Embiid with the pull up from the FT line. He's got 14.
Jokic didn't get the hook to go but Milutinov was there for the tip in.
KD off the dribble and he hits the elbow jumper. Back and forth we go with 6:30 to go.
Bogdanovic on the fader from the baseline and he hits it to break the US run.
James finds Booker from the top of the key and he drills the three! Here come the United States!
Timeout Serbia with 7:17 to go in the 4th quarter!
KD with the catch and shoot from the wing and he drills the three ball! Foul off the ball and Jokic just picked up his fourth! USA keep the ball after the the foul!
That' might be the play that turns this game around.
Jokic off the pick and roll and he goes right up, gets the runner in the lane and the foul on James. FT is no good.
Backdoor cut from Curry and Davis found him for the lay up. He's got 29 on the night.
James on the fader from outside the lane. He's got 12 and this is when LeBron becomes LeBron. Watch out Serbia.
WE ARE HEADED TO THE FINAL QUARTER AND SERBIA IS HOLDING ON TO THE LEAD!!!!
Ten minutes to decide a winner. Ten minutes from Serbia pulling one of the shocks of Olympic history! Ten minutes for Team USA to make a comeback and continue their quest for a fifth gold medal!
KD off the dribble and he hits the jumper from right outside the lane.
GUDURIC PULLS UP FROM THREE POINT RANGE AND DROPS THE THREE AND GETS THE FOUL ON WHITE!!! FT IS GOOD AND THE LEAD IS UP TO 15 WITH 32 SECONDS TO GO IN THE THIRD QUARTER!
Guduric to the line after the foul on Edwards and he hits both FTs.
Micic off the dribble and he drills the three! That's 14/28 from downtown for Serbia.
Davis following up KD's miss and he tips it in.
Micic with the off balanced jumper in the lane and he gets the friendly roll.
Curry finds Holiday in the corner and he drills the three ball for his first points!
Curry jacks up another tough three and he drills it! That's 26 for Curry!
Dobric was left open in the corner and Bogdanovic hit him with the extra pass for three!
Curry on the pump fake and pulls up off the dribble for three! He's got 23 on the night!
Jokic finds Dobric on the wing and he sinks the three ball!
Embiid down the lane off the dish from Holiday and he slams it home!
Serbia's bench was called for a tech asking for a travel and Steph hits the FT.
Jokic on the turn around in the lane and he hits the fader over Embiid.
Deep ball from Bogdanovic off the kickout from Jokic and he nails it! Can Serbia keep up the hot shooting for the rest of the game?
LeBron to the line after the foul on Dobric and he hits one of two FTs.
Embiid spots up from the top of the key and drills a three ball to start the third quarter.
THE THIRD QUARTER IS UNDERWAY FROM BERCY ARENA!!
20 minutes to decide a winner. Can Serbia hold on or will it be Team USA coming back and going to a fifth straight gold medal match?
Jokic has 9 points and 7 assists, but those 7 assists will tell you that it hasn't just been him. Bogdanovic has 12, and Aleksi Avramovic has 15 on 4/6 shooting. Serbia shot 10/19 from downtown and hit 54.3% of their FGs.
Curry has 20, LeBron has 9 and Embiid has 7 but they have to wake up coming out of halftime.
Team USA will respond, the question is can Serbia withstand?
Go ahead and just enjoy this. He had 18 in the first half against Serbia in the exhibition before the Olympics. He had 17 in the first quarter and goes to half with 20 on 7/10 shooting.
The only thing that could have spoiled the Serbians three point shooting in the first quarter was Stephen Curry. He had 17 of the first 23 points in the first half. They still trailed by eight after the Serbians hit 5 of their first 6 three pointers.
WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME AND IS THERE AN UPSET IN THE MAKING FROM PARIS??
LeBron posing up on Bogdanovic and he hits the fader and gets the foul! FT is good.
Avramovic with the catch and shoot at the top of the key and he drills it!
Curry spots up from a yard behind the three point line and he drills it! That's 20 for him, but his first points of the second quarter.
Avramovic to the line after the foul on Edwards and he hits one of two FTs.
Avramovic in the corner and he strokes the three! He's got 11 points on the night!
Embiid with the pump fake around Jokic and the baseline drive. He finishes with the slam and Serbia needs a timeout up 10 with under 3:00 to go in the 2nd half.
LeBron pulls up from the top of the key and drills the three ball! He's got 6 on the night!
Bogdanovic pulls the trigger from the top of the key and drops the three ball!
Petrusev with the long rebound and put back from the FT line.
Embiid dared to shoot the three from the corner and he drills it!
Bounce pass through the seam from LeBron to Booker who lays it up and gets the foul on Petrusev! FT is no good.
The US onslaught is coming, How can Serbia handle it?
Embiid left alone at the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper.
Jokic drives after the pump fake at the three point line, gets the lay up to go and the foul on Adebayo! FT is good and the Serbians lead by 17!
Milutinov tuns in the paint and lay it up and in over White!
Timeout Team USA who trail by 14 two minutes into the second quarter!
Micic launches a three ball off the dribble and banks it in from the wing!
Guduric with the three ball in the corner and they are 6/10 from behind the arc!
Edwards pull up from just inside the three point line and starts the second quarter off with a bucket.
THE FIRST HALF COMES TO A CLOSE AND IT'S SERBIA THAT LEAD BY 8!!
Curry had 17 of the 23 points for USA, but the hot shooting from Serbia has them in the lead. They hit five of their first six threes and are shooting 64.7%.
Bogdanovic goes right at White and lays it up over him off the glass.
Jokic picks up the loose ball and finds Petrusev who gets fouled by KD. He goes to the line and hits
Jokic just came out with 1:29 to go. They lead by 6, can they hold on to that lead?
Curry with the catch and shoot from the wing and he's got 17 points in the first quarter!!!
Guduric gets behind the defense and lays it off for Jokic who lays it up and in.
Jokic called for the foul on Davis and he hits one of two FTs.
Davis to the line after the foul on Dobric and he hits one of two FTs.
Jokic to the line after the foul on Davis and he hits both FTs.
Avromovic hits another three ball! Serbia are 5/6 from three point range to start this game!
James is on the board with a three ball from the top of the key!
Long ball from Jokic to Avromovic and he lays it up before LeBron could get back.
Bogdanovic pulls up from the baseline and drops the mid range jumper.
Threes are flying here from Paris, between Curry who has all of Team USA's long balls has started this game on fire, but Avromovic and Bogdonovic are keeping pace!
Another three ball this time from Marinkovic!
Booker to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Jokic goes slashing right down the lane and jams it home after Embiid left him open.
Curry answers back with a three ball from the top of the key and he's got the first 5 points for Team USA.
Petrusev drops a three ball from the top of the key and the Serbians lead for the first time! How long can that last?
Bogdanovic pulls up and hits the baseline jumper.
Curry off the curl and he drops the elbow jumper for the first bucket of the game. Serbia have already felt his wrath in the exhibition leading up to the Olympics when he scored 24 points.
THE SECOND SEMIFINAL IS UNDERWAY FROM BERCY ARENA IN PARIS!!!
Team USA starters
Devin Booker is back in the starting five after dropping 18 points last game. He is joined by Steph Curry, LeBron, Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid. Remember, the game against Serbia was the game that Jayson Tatum was benched. Will he get any action today, or will Steve Kerr stay with the plan he had in the first Olympic match up against the Serbians only a couple weeks ago?
LeBron gets stitched up
LeBron took an elbow to the eyebrow against Brazil and went to the bench where he had a towel over his eye before sitting out the rest of the game. He would eventually get four stitches above his right eye, but Team USA fans have no fear. It would take a lot more than a couple of stitches for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to miss this semifinal game. LeBron has showed that even at 39 years old he is still the cream of the crop on this stacked team full of stars. Team USA has yet to be locked in a tight contest late in the game, but should that be the case against Serbia, you know who will have the ball in his hands with a chance to decide the game.
The series matchup
These two teams met in the exhibition tour before the Olympics started and Steph Curry led Team USA to a 26 point victory, lighting up Serbia from downtown and finished the game with 24 points. The Americans won the next game by 26 points again, but this time it was Kevin Durant who had 21 points in his first half of action with the team after recovering from a calf strain. He was a perfect 8/8 from the field and LeBron took over in the second half as Team USA secured another blowout of the Serbian to start their Olympic campaign.
Star watch: Serbia
Who else could it be? Nikola Jokic, the three time NBA MVP, is going to have to be even more unstoppable tonight, but he will be going up against a three headed monster in Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo down low. When he is on the floor Serbia can hang with Team USA, but when he is not on the floor they suffer. In the Olympic opener between these two teams a couple weeks ago, Serbia with +0 with Jokic on the floor but -26 when Jokic went to the bench. Against Australia Serbia were +17 with Jokic on the floor and -12 without him. It’s very simple to just say Jokic needs to play all 40 minutes, but against this fast, physical Team USA side, he’s likely going to need at least a few minutes of rest especially since they are coming off an OT game in which Jokic played 39 minutes.
Star watch: USA
We have talked about it since this team was formed at the beginning of the year. The depth and star power on this team is unlike anything we have ever seen since the Dream Team in 1992. Each of the super stars have seemingly passed the baton from one to another in each of the four games. KD and LeBron shined against Serbia. Bam was the stand out against South Sudan. Anthony Edwards had his best showing against Puerto Rico, and against Brazil Devin Booker’s shots finally started falling. It’s really a toss up when it comes to who is going to step up tonight. But it’s been a while since LeBron had a LeBron type game. I think he dominates tonight just to remind everyone who the greatest player of this generation still is.
Last game: Serbia
All looked lost for Serbia through the first 12 minutes of their game against Australia. Olympic veteran Patty Mills had 18 points after the first quarter and a half and the Boomers led Jokic and Serbia by 24 points, but they would just the next two and a half quarters to chip away at the lead. Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists while Bogdan Bogadanovic chipped in a solid 17, 5 and 6 but it was Serbia’s defense that turned on in the second half. After giving up 31 points in the first quarter, they allowed just 26 points in the final two quarters and pushed the game to overtime after Patty Mills hit a tough fade away to tie the game up with 2 seconds left. It was the biggest comeback in the history of Olympic basketball. In the OT session, Serbia and Jokic dominated closing out the Boomers and advancing to the semifinal just the second time in history.
Last game: Team USA
Team USA had one of the easiest games of the quarterfinals after breezing past the competition and playing the worst of the two third place teams that made the knockout stages. Brazil snuck into the quarters with a win over Japan but they were no match for Team USA got off to a quick start thanks to some hot shooting from Devin Booker and Joel Embiid. Booker hit a couple early threes to begin his 18 points night and Embiid drilled three triples while egging on the French crowd that has turned against him, and he has returned the favor. The game was over by early in the second quarter although Bruno Caboclo did his best to keep his side in the game, scoring 30 points but it was far from enough to keep Brazil in the contest as Team USA eased to their fourth straight blowout win.
We are live from Paris
Hello everyone and welcome to Bercy Arena for one of the games of the tournament and the events of the Olympics. It’s Serbia and Team USA going head to head in the semifinals in a rematch of the gold medal match in Rio from 2016. This is the third time these two teams have played in less than a month, and Team USA has handled them with ease, but Serbia might be saving their best for last. Team USA has rolled through the competition, but Serbia have had their struggles. They had to make a big comeback against Australia just to get to this stage of the tournament, and after an overtime thriller, how much will be in the tank just two days later?
Team USA vs. Serbia
It’s a game worthy of a gold medal match. The best team in the world taking on the best player in the world. This edition of Team USA has been compared to the Dream Team of 1992, and are making their case for the best team ever. Nikola Jokic is the best player on the planet and he will, almost singlehandedly, being trying to take down this American super team in the semifinals. It’s Team USA against Serbia for the second time in this Olympics, and AS English will be with you all afternoon providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of the semifinal showdown from Paris.