For the second consecutive game, the U.S. Men’s National Team survived a scare, this time narrowly defeating Serbia 94-91 on Friday.
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RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) – Serbia claimed their first win in the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament by getting the better of China, 80-72, on Friday afternoon.
Serbia had a chance to tie the game with 5.2 seconds remaining, down by three, but Bogdan Bogdanovic missed the mark on a 3-point attempt and the USA secured the rebound as time expired.
Both teams came into Friday’s clash having lost their first three round-robin games and knowing that the victor would nearly certainly secure the fourth and final spot in the quarterfinals out of their group.
Incoming NBA player Bogdan Bogdanovic missed what would have been an overtime-clinching three-pointer at the buzzer to let head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad get away with an edgy three-point victory.
The U.S. built a 23-5 lead in the first quarter.
Despite a ferocious start, the Americans couldn’t put away the underdog Serbs, who ran their cut-and-cut-again offense with precision and had a chance to tie it in the final seconds.
As the competition improves and the games become more significant, it seems inevitable that Team USA will rediscover its anger and deliver a few minutes or a quarter when it blitzes opponents into submission. That improves them to 4-0 and the United States of America clinched the top spot of Group A.
Kyrie Irving scored 15 points and Durant and Carmelo Anthony had 12 apiece for the US team, which arrived in Brazil lauded as another American super squad and gold-medal lock.
The U.S. finishes group play against France (3-1) on Sunday. 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 US a 9-0 lead to open the game. Bigger, faster players can easily stop inferior ones if they’re just going to the basket against them one-on-one: their physicality gives them an overwhelming advantage.
Serbia’s Nikola Jokic throws down a dunk ahead of USA’s DeMarcus Cousins. “It’s good that we’re finding ways to win these games right now”.
Kyrie Irving led the Americans with 15 points. On Friday, the US made 27 field goals and was credited with 28 assists, because FIBA gives out assists for passes that lead to made free throws. Kyrie Irving really helped get the passing going and the bench provided a much-needed spark.
“When things aren’t going well, we still have to play within a team concept and play together both offensively and defensively”.
“When people look at it like it’s just supposed to be easy, whenever anyone says that, I kind of tune them out because they don’t understand”, he said Thursday. They won their opening game against Team Venezuela 86-62, but have lost two in a row since.
China’s Yi Jianlian, center, is pressured by Serbia’s Stefan Markovic (9) during a men’s basketball game at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016.
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In earlier Group A action, Australia (3-1) earned a 93-68 win over China (0-4). He’s right in pointing out that the cores of the Australian and Serbian national teams have played much more together than this US squad, which includes six guys who have never played on this level internationally.
