The second and final game of the USA Basketball Showcase took place in Abu Dhabi on July 17. In its third pre-Olympics showcase game, Team USA dominated Serbia, winning 105-79. As expected, Stephen Curry was in show mode as the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team faced Serbia on Wednesday in a tune-up for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Curry was ready to do what he does best in the USA Basketball Showcase matchup in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He scored the first nine U.S. points and followed up with nine straight in the second quarter. The U.S. defeated Serbia 105-79, with Curry scoring 24 points.

The Americans remain unbeaten at 3-0 in the USA Basketball Showcase, with Bam Adebayo leading the way with 17 points and eight rebounds, Anthony Edwards contributing 16 points and three steals, and LeBron James adding 11 points to the team’s victory. Anthony Davis AD was dominant on defense, blocking six shots and adding seven points and six rebounds. Joel Embiid had eight rebounds, just like Adebayo.

“Bam and AD together are really something,” Kerr said. “The switching, they can also protect the rim and be in a drop if we go to that coverage. Combined with the ball pressure Book was putting on their point guard, I thought it really set a tone for us.”

The Aussies almost had it against the US

 Following a narrow 98-92 victory over Australia on Monday, doubts arose regarding the US team’s ability to win. Australia almost took advantage of their vulnerability in the game on Monday. According to Devin Booker, Team USA’s performance in the third quarter and final minutes against the Aussies won’t secure the gold medal.

“Our defense had a little slippage, back cuts kind of hurt us,” Anthony Davis said. “But offensive rebounds for them have nothing to do with the short time we’ve been together. That’s all effort”.

Patience is being preached here in the exhibition stretch of games. That said, there are two weeks before the tipoff is real — enough time, Kerr said, but barely so.“We don’t have the continuity like a team like Australia,” Kerr said. “That means we have to adapt pretty quickly, in a couple of weeks. It takes a little time to become a team. We will get there. This is a good lesson for us. Better to learn that lesson now than later.” Despite everything, Team USA demonstrated true determination in their game against Serbia.

The next stops for Team USA on their exhibition schedule are London, where they will face South Sudan on Saturday and Germany on Monday. The last USA vs Germany game in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup semis was one of the best ever.

The greatest game in FIBA history?

Last time the Germans and the US played, the Germans won. Obst dropped 24 points, Wagner chipped in 22, and Germany tore apart the U.S. defense for most of the game, snagging their first win over the Americans — 113-111 in the World Cup semis on a Friday night. The U.S., trailing by 10 in the fourth, almost made an epic comeback, coming within one point twice in the final minutes. The Americans never got ahead, and the Germans were jumping and hugging when time ran out.

Germany had been 0-6 against the Americans in World Cup or Olympic competition, usually getting blown out in those games. Not this time. Once again, even bringing the only roster filled with all NBA players wasn’t enough for the U.S. at the World Cup. In the 2019 World Cup in China, the Americans came in seventh. This makes the upcoming US vs Germany game even more thrilling. Will the underdogs pull off another win? Let’s just wait and see.

Team USA London exhibition schedule

USA Olympic roster

With a total of 12 NBA players and a remarkable 10 Olympic gold medals between them, the USA men’s basketball roster is truly exceptional. The basketball world is no stranger to the triumphs of these incredible athletes. Kevin Durant, a three-time gold medalist, stands with LeBron James, the leading scorer for Team USA with two gold medals. The 2020 Olympics saw gold medal victories by Adebayo, Booker, Holiday, and Tatum, in addition to these two legends. Davis had already won gold in 2012. Also, it’s Stephen Curry’s first Olympics.

On July 28, the American men will kick off their first Olympic match against Serbia, then South Sudan on July 31, and finally the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Puerto Rico on Aug. 3 in the first round of the Olympic tournament. Is Team USA going to bring home the gold medal this time?