It’s time for the ultimate matchup – Team USA vs Team Serbia today. It’s significant for NBA fans because it’s going to be a direct showdown between Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and LA Lakers’ LeBron James. Of course, Bron and the Lakers have had difficulty beating the Nuggets many times during when the NBA season is on, but tonight it’s different. Hence, James’ and Joel Embiid’s injury status becomes ever so important.

Jokic and his team of supporting cast will do everything in their power to get rid of the US, but with the kind of talent that the Dream Team possesses this year, it’s going to be a nail-biter. Having said that, let’s take a look at the injury reports for the Paris Olympics semi-finals.

LeBron James and Joel Embiid’s injury status for the men’s basketball semifinals

In the US’s win over Brazil in the quarterfinals, the ‘King’ took an inadvertent hit to the eye. A stray elbow from Georginho De Paula ended up with him needing four stitches. Although he didn’t return to the floor, LeBron’s statement to the Olympics’ official website, “I’m alright,” should be comforting. However, ahead of the matchup, Steve Kerr has yet to provide an official update on the 4x NBA champion’s status.

But chances of him sitting out the crucial game seem highly unlikely. The other player with a questionable tag on him was none other than Joel Embiid. The 76ers’ dominant big man’s presence is something all fans would expect when going against a team like Serbia. However, we did not see the hulking 7-footer in the second half of Team USA’s 122-87 victory against Brazil. The reason?

Coach Kerr chose to hold out Embiid due to ankle soreness as a precautionary measure. Given the 2023 MVP’s affinity for injury, Kerr did not want to take that risk as they progressed to tougher opponents. As is the case with the Lakers superstar, ‘The Process’ is bound to suit up vs Serbia. After all, the 9x NBA champion wouldn’t want to go down in history as that coach who couldn’t lead the Dream Team to its fifth straight gold.

And they are sure that this time around, Serbia isn’t going easy on them.

Depth Chart of Team USA

Steve Kerr has been mixing and matching his players right from the start. With the kind of talent at his fingertips, the man surely has every right to do so. No matter who Kerr decides to DNP, there will be criticism aimed at him from that particular fanbase. Then again, that’s an expected response, given every single player on the team is a superstar with a sizeable army spread across the globe.

Kerr could be conflicted between Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum as starters. In the tournament opener, Tatum was on the sidelines, not taking the floor at all. While Coach Kerr did comfort the fans in the next matchup, the 2024 NBA champion’s defensive versatility and size could be favorable for the team against Serbia.

On that note, let’s take a look at the depth chart for Team USA.

When is Team USA vs Serbia scheduled to tip off?

The matchup is scheduled for 3:00 PM ET at the Bercy Arena. Broadcasted by NBC, it can be streamed online via Peacock. There’s no doubt this game will have quite a high volume of viewers. By now, nearly every basketball fan, regardless of the country they are repping, will know who’s who of Team USA. At the end of the day, the NBA ranks as the gold standard for every aspiring hooper.

As such, the names that the 2024 Unites States men’s basketball team boasts are the greatest of this era! James, Curry, and Durant are names that will resonate in the global basketball community for decades to come. Of course, Tatum, Edwards, and Haliburton are not behind on the popularity scale. But the medley of future Hall of Famers and All-Stars like the one we have right now can only be described as one of those rare astronomical events, like Halley’s Comet.

While it seems like a sealed deal that the USAB is bound to clinch that gold, Serbia will make sure that it does not come easy. For Team USA’s sake, let’s hope Nikola Jokić and his Serbian squad do not pull something along the lines of the 2023 Western Conference upset on LeBron James and Co.