USA Handle Serbia to Secure Second USA Basketball Showcase Abu Dhabi Win

Curry scored 24 points, as the highest-ranked U.S. came away with the win 105-79 over fourth-ranked Serbia which left the Etihad Arena’s sellout crowd of 12,517 in a frenzy.

The U.S. will take its act to London’s O2 for games Saturday against first-time Olympic qualifier South Sudan and Monday vs. 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup champion Germany, both at 3 p.m. ET, to conclude pre-Olympic play. Saturday’s game is on Fox.

Bam Adebayo displayed his dominance in the game with 17 points, and 8 rebound and eight rebounds, while Anthony Edwards had 16 points and three steals. LeBron Jamesscored 11 points for the Americans who are currently 3-0 on the road in the USA Basketball Showcase this year. Anthony Davis was an offensive force, preventing six shots, along scoring seven points with six boards. Joel Embiid joined Adebayo with an all-time high of eight boards.

“We’re getting better and we’re on a good path,” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr. “… I was impressed with the way that players came out and played with a lot of intensity defensively. They attempted to wear Serbia down by using ball pressure as well as the defense.”

Adebayo recorded 15 3-pointers during the season, compared to eight in the previous six attempts.

“I made the first one, so I kept shooting,” said Adebayo who scored 35.7 percent from deep for the Miami Heat in 2023-24.

In the same team with Davis who currently owns 12 blocks pair is a good team at both ends of the court for the U.S.

“Bam and AD together are really something,” Kerr stated. “The shifting, they could also defend the rim and also be the way of a drop should we stick to this coverage. In conjunction together with ball pressure Book was wearing the point guards, I felt it set the direction that we could follow.”

The starting five consisted of Curry, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, James and Embiid almost exactly the same as that of the USA Basketball Showcase opener vs. Canada, with Tatum playing in place of Devin Booker. This meant that the second team comprised from Tyrese Haliburton, Edwards, Booker, Davis and Adebayo. Curry, James and Embiid have played in the three games of the exhibition.

Injured replacement Derrick White, having only one game in his bag since being brought into the team at Abu Dhabi, made his first appearance in the game when he came into the team for a brief time during the second and fourth quarters. White scored only one shot and four rebounds less than 9 minutes of action.

“I think some of the turnovers that we’ve had, most of them have been from miscommunication,” Embiid spoke of the team’s starting point by combining Curry as well as James. “But it’s good. I’m having the best time of my life. I don’t need any obligations. I’m content just chilling. I’m just hanging out doing small things, and having fun with the goal of winning.”

Kevin Durant, the leading scorer of all time throughout U.S. Olympic history, has missed the 3 USA Basketball Showcase games with the calf strain, but Durant was able to do some court training prior to the game.