The USA Basketball Showcase continued Wednesday with its second and final game in Abu Dhabi.
Team USA Basketball took down Nikola Jokić and Serbia in its third pre-Olympics showcase game on Wednesday afternoon, 105-79. Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry dropped 24 points and was 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. Lakers big man Anthony Davis had six blocks to go with seven points and six rebounds.
The United States entered the game having won each of its first two games. It was coming off of a close, 98-92 win over Australia on Monday.
Wednesday's game also served as a preview for the group stage at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games basketball tournament. The U.S. and Serbia are both in Group C and will open group play against each other again at the Olympics.
See how the U.S. defeated Serbia in each team's second game in Abu Dhabi.
The United States takes on fellow Group C member South Sudan in London for its fourth and penultimate USA Basketball Showcase exhibition game on Saturday, July 20. The game starts at 3 p.m. ET and will be aired on FOX.
On the back of strong performances from Steph Curry, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Team USA moves to 3-0 in its pre-Olympics showcase after the win over Serbia.
With three minutes left in the game, the U.S. has built a 99-69 lead over Serbia.
The 36-year-old point guard is 6/9 from 3-point range and has 24 points against Serbia. The latest one gave the U.S. a 95-66 lead.
The Lakers' star is up to six blocks in the game with seven minutes remaining. He also has seven points and six rebounds off of the bench.
After a second consecutive strong quarter, the U.S. leads Serbia, 83-58, with 10 minutes left in the game.
The young guard snagged the ball from Serbia at the wing on the defensive side and ran down the court for an easy slam. Everything has clicked for the U.S. so far in the second half.
The 26-year-old center from the Miami Heat was the benefactor of good ball movement from the U.S. offense. As the shot clock wound down, Adebayo drilled a late shot from the top of the key.
Before the first media timeout of the second half, Serbia's shooting heated up. The team went on a 10-2 scoring run to cut into the U.S. lead and bring the score to 73-55 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Missed shots and strong American defense have held Serbia to zero points through three and a half minutes in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the U.S. is on a 12-0 run to begin the second half and extended the lead to 71-45.
The U.S. battled through the second quarter after a shaky first 10 minutes. A scoring run that began about halfway through the quarter carried Team USA to a 14-point halftime lead.
A big part of Team USA's scoring run has been the strong defense from Lakers big man Anthony Davis, who blocked several shots at the rim during the run. The U.S. leads Serbia, 59-45.
Curry's four-point play ignited the Americans, who add on with a big run to build their lead to 53-42 with two minutes left in the second quarter.
The Celtics' guard is on the court for his first minutes with the U.S. national team halfway through the second quarter.
Team USA reclaimed the lead on a wide-open 3-pointer from Steph Curry, who kept the scoring going with a drive to the rim for two points and a four-point play on the next two possessions. The U.S. leads, 44-40.
The two multi-time NBA MVP winners team up with a couple of beautiful passes to find Joel Embiid open under the rim for a quick two points.
Bad turnovers continue to plague the U.S., which has allowed Serbia to regain the lead with a couple of 3-pointers to open the third quarter. A tough drive by LeBron James ends an 8-0 run, but Serbia leads, 34-31.
Serbia managed to get the ball down the court quickly after a couple of missed shots from Team USA. They hit a buzzer-beating layup to bring the score even as the first quarter ended.
After Team USA moved the ball around to begin the possession, the ball ended in the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves star. Edwards drains a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 24 with one minute left in the first quarter.
He followed it up with a steal and drew a foul to go to the line, where he sank both free throws. The United States regain the lead, 26-24.
With two Americans on him, the center passed out to Dobrić for an open look beyond the arc. After the missed shot, Jokić grabbed the board and sunk a tough shot over the defense. Serbia leads, 22-19.
On a breakaway possession following a steal, Serbian small forward Ognjen Dobrić lobbed a pass to center Filip Petrušev, who slammed it down over Anthony Davis to give Serbia an 18-15 lead.
The three-time and reigning NBA MVP got "M-V-P" chants from the crowd as he drained two foul shots. Serbia now leads 16-13 at the first media timeout.
Several miscommunications lead to turnovers from the United States, allowing Serbia to take and extend their lead with an 8-0 run. Serbia leads Team USA, 14-13, halfway through the first quarter.
After Team USA won the tip, Curry drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to begin the scoring for either side. He nailed another moments later to pull the Americans into a 7-4 lead two minutes into the game.
HOW TO WATCH:Catch Team USA in the Basketball Showcase with a Fubo subscription
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All Team USA men's basketball games will be available to stream on Peacock.
July 28
USA vs. Serbia, NBC, 11:15 a.m. ET
July 31
USA vs. South Sudan, NBC, 3 p.m. ET
Aug. 3
USA vs. Puerto Rico, NBC, 11:15 a.m. ET
The 2024 Paris Olympics start on July 24 and run through August 11.
TV: Games broadcast across NBC, USA Network, E!, Telemundo, CNBC, NBCSN
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
HOW TO WATCH:See all Olympic events with a subscription to Peacock
Team USA played one game in Las Vegas to start the showcase. It will have played two games in Abu Dhabi after Wednesday before playing two more in London ahead of the Olympics.
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