United States
defeated Serbia in Olympic basketball at Rio 2016. The Dream Team remains undefeated in the Olympic Games and is the leader of Group A with 8 points for now.
United States
continues undefeated in the basketball tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after a narrow 94-91 victory over Serbia, with more problems than expected.
The Americans had to work harder than expected to beat a tough Serbia, which, however, was always behind on the scoreboard throughout the game.
The Serbs, with two losses and one victory in this Group A, needed to win to strengthen their position in the group destined to reach the quarterfinals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
United States
was ahead from the start, leading by as much as 23-5 with 3:30 left in the first quarter, which seemed to foreshadow problems for the European team.
Then Miroslav Raduljica (18 points) appeared to keep Serbia in the game. The Europeans managed to close the gap, but they never took the lead, ending the first half with 50-41 for the North Americans.
In the second half, the United States had some defensive lapses and several offensive errors, which the Europeans took advantage of. Serbian player Nikola Jokic, the top scorer of the match with 25 points, was vital in supporting his team.
With a score of 94-91 and 1:18 left in the game, Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic missed two shots that dashed hopes of turning the game around.
Serbia will face China in the last match of Group A on Sunday, seeking to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the United States will face France on Sunday.
| Rio 2016 | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 27 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 94 |
| Serbia | 15 | 26 | 21 | 29 | 91 |
PREVIEW
United States
faces Serbia on Friday in the basketball tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympics, seeking to erase doubts after the scare given by Australia, while Venezuela wants a victory against France that allows them to keep dreaming of the quarterfinals.
"It's the first time we've been really tested," said American star Kevin Durant, after the close 98-88 victory over the Australian "Boomers".
The "Dream Team" suffered, and was even losing in the first half with a score of 54-49 until they reacted in the third quarter, led by Carmelo Anthony and his 31 points, making him the all-time leading scorer for the United States in the Olympic Games (293).
The Americans now face tough Serbia in their penultimate game of this Group A in the Olympic tournament, seeking a fourth victory with first place in the group practically secured.
Serbia, who lost narrowly to France 76 - 75 on Wednesday, is fourth in the group and wants a victory to stay within the top four in the group, but their coach Sasha Djordjevic knows it won't be easy.
"We are still not qualified for anything. We have two games, first against the United States and then against China. We are still not qualified for anything," he said after the match.