A Steph Curry exploding for 36 points, Lebron James triple-double and a 19-point game from Joel Embiid proved too much for Serbia to overcome, despite leading the game for the first three quarters (76-63). At one point, Serbia was ahead by as much as 17 points and seemed to be hitting every shot, especially from the 3-point line.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Serbian national team with 20 points, while Nikola Jokic added 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists. Aleksa Avramovic scored 15 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. However, as a team, they shot 38.5% from the 3-point line, especially in the final period when their shots started to miss.
36 points.
8 rebounds.
12-19 shooting.
9-14 from three.Steph's #USABMNT Moment. https://t.co/BOCsmrO9Ob pic.twitter.com/NVOdfb2up9
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2024
LeBron James wouldnโt be denied in the clutch of USAโs 17-point comeback win ๐บ๐ธ
๐ 16 PTS
๐ 12 REB
๐ 10 AST— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2024
As much offensive firepower as Team USA possessed, it was their defense that secured the win. Trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Team USA clamped down on Serbia, allowing just 15 points in the quarter after surrendering an average of 25.33 points in the first three quarters. Embiid and James made several stops that led to 9 fast-break points, and it was the bench players who helped turn the game around for the Americans.
19 PTS on 8-11 shooting.
7 PTS in the 4Q to spark USA comeback.HUGE #Paris2024 Semifinals moment for Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/a33VhJS87n
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2024
Scoring the FINAL 13 POINTS for USA to complete their #Paris2024 Semifinals comeback…
Steph. Bron. KD. pic.twitter.com/cFkXihsYgG
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2024
Steph Curry led the team with 36 points and 8 rebounds, falling just one point short of tying Carmelo Anthony’s 37-point record at the 2012 London Olympics. LeBron James contributed 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, his second triple-double in the Olympics. The “crowd-favorite,” Joel Embiid, scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Team USA will face Team France in the gold medal game this Saturday, August 10th, while Serbia will play Germany for the bronze medal.
The stage is SET! ๐บ๐ธ vs ๐ซ๐ท #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/lwh1qu70jq
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 8, 2024