The United States men's basketball team fended off another tough challenge in Serbia, defeating them 94-91 in their penultimate preliminary game of the 2016 Olympics. The Americans needed every bit of their depth to hold off the sixth best team in the world according to FIBA.
An even, ugly ballgame
Just about every statistic in the game reflected the score. Serbia held a slight edge in field goal percentage, 51 percent to 49. The Serbians also edged out the Americans from three-point range, 40 percent to 35. Total and offensive rebounds were dead even at 32 and 8. Even turnovers, where the U.S. usually enjoys a significant advantage, were close. The U.S. finished plus 4 in the turnover margin. Many of Serbia's 16 giveaways did not result in fast break points for the Americans.
Much like Austrailia, Serbia used ball movement to contend with the superior talent of the United States. The great passing and cutting resulted in a number of good looks for the Serbians. Serbia's constant fouling, 31 to 24, served to slow the game down and not allow the U.S. to run in transition. Serbia made the game as ugly as the score suggests.
Early on, it appeared the U.S. was going to breeze past the Serbians. In the first quarter, the U.S. shot 52 percent from the field. The U.S. did most of their work in the paint, going six for eight from inside. Instead of running isolation plays with everyone else standing around, the U.S. got everyone involved. At one point, the Americans led 23-5 in the first quarter.
From the start of the second quarter on, the Serbians slowly chipped away at the U.S. robust lead. Team U.S.A. ended the opening frame with a 27-15 lead and finished minus nine for the rest of the game. Serbia shot 9-16 from the field in the second quarter, 8-15 in the third, and 10-17 in the fourth. Serbia only shot 33 percent in the first. Serbia also had as many turnovers in the final three-quarters as they did in the first, eight. Serbia had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds. Former Phoenix Suns first round draft pick Bogdan Bogdanovic missed an open three from the left wing that could have sent the game to overtime.
A team effort
Team USA often boasts a significant advantage over other national team with the ability to go 12 players deep. Of the 12 players, 11 of them played, six scored in double figures. Kyrie Irving led the Americans in scoring with 15 points. Irving shot 5-8 and had four assists. DeAndre Jordan scored 13 points off the bench for the U.S. Jordan made all of his four shots, two of them alley-oops in the first quarter. Jordan, who was awful at the free throw line in the first three games, went 5-8 from the line.
All-Stars Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George each scored 12 points. Following his torrid shooting performance, Anthony shot just 3-8 overall and 15 from downtown. Durant made half of his four shots and went 7-8 from the charity stripe. Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins led the team with five assists. Cousins had the highlight of the game in the first, spinning past a Serbia defender in transition and finishing with a dunk.
Another tough loss for the Serbians
Serbia suffered their second close loss in three days. Tony Parker and France closed Serbia out at the last minute on Monday and the loss to the U.S. ended in similar fashion. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic led the team with 25 points on 11-15 shooting. Jokic made both of his three-point attempts and led the team with six rebounds. Three of the five Serbian starters scored double figures. Miroslav Raduljica and Milos Teodosic scored 18 points apiece. Teodosic also had a team-leading six assists and shot 4-7 from three-point range. Raduljica shot 6-8 from the field.
Next Up
Both teams play their final preliminary games on Sunday. The U.S. plays a tough France team at 1:15 EST. Serbia plays China at 9:30 EST.