Team USA improved to 4-0 in preliminary round play of the 2016 Olympics in Rio after defeating Serbia 94-91 on Friday.
USA Basketball at 2016 Summer Olympics: Preliminary Round
For the second consecutive game, the U.S. Men’s National Team survived a scare, this time narrowly defeating Serbia 94-91 on Friday. Team USA raced out to an early lead, but Serbia trimmed it down as the game wore on, missing a potential game-tying shot with 2.0 seconds remaining in regulation. Kyrie Irving led the American squad with 15 points, while Kevin Durant wasn’t far behind with 12 points to go with five rebounds. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green combined for three points, four rebounds and five assists.
As he has done so often throughout international play, Kevin Durant got the scoring started, sinking all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt from the corner on the American’s first offensive possession. Durant would then find Paul George open on the wing for another trey before following up DeMarcus Cousins’ fast break dunk with a converted technical free throw, giving the U.S. a 9-0 lead to open the game. Klay Thompson, who came off the bench for the second-straight contest, sank his first shot of the game, a corner three-pointer with 5:00 remaining in the opening frame, increasing the U.S. Men’s National Team’s lead to 17-5. That lead would grow as large as 27-9, but just as it appeared the American’s would run away with the game, Serbia began to make a charge.
They’d score the final six points of the first quarter to pull within 27-15 at its conclusion, and continue their burst into the second. In fact, following the Americans’ 9-0 start, Serbia would play Team USA even through the remainder of the first half, outscoring them 26-23 in the second quarter to pull within 50-41 at halftime. Durant trailed only Kyrie Irving’s 11 points for the team lead at the time, shooting a perfect 1-of-1 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line for a total of 9 points.
The second half would follow a similar theme as the second quarter, as Team USA proved unable to generate any further separation from the pesky Serbian squad. Denver’s Nikola Jokic’s dunk at the 6:03 mark brought Serbia within 58-53, their smallest deficit since Durant’s opening free throws. The U.S. Men’s National Team would rebound slightly, outscoring Serbia by five throughout the remainder of the frame to take a 72-62 advantage into the fourth and final quarter.
Durant
PTS: 12
REB: 5
AST: 1
Thompson
PTS: 3
REB: 1
AST: 3
Green
PTS: 0
REB: 3
AST: 2
From the quarter’s outset, however, it was clear Serbia was not going to go down without a fight. Jokic opened the frame with a three-pointer, and the Serbians found themselves within 77-73 with 7:29 remaining in the game. Paul George sank a three-pointer at the 4:06 mark to increase Team USA’s lead to 90-82, and Carmelo Anthony’s jumper with 2:12 remaining seemed as if it might be the final blow to the Serbian hopes, putting the Americans in front 94-87. However, Team USA would be held scoreless throughout the rest of the game, providing Serbia a chance to complete a dramatic comeback. That chance materialized in a wide-open three-point attempt from the wing with 2.0 seconds left, but the shot went long, and the Americans escaped with a thrilling 94-91 victory.
Now 4-0, Team USA will look to complete the preliminary round in undefeated fashion when they play France on Sunday.