The U.S. men’s basketball team played its best performance yet on Wednesday against its opening opponent in the Paris Olympics.
The U.S. team defeated Serbia 105-79 in Abu Dhabi in the third of five pre-Olympic friendlies. Stephen Curry led the way with a team-high 24 points and Bam Adebayo added 17 points and seven rebounds.
The U.S. couldn’t get past Nikola Jokic and Serbia to take an early lead and the score was tied at 40-40 midway through the second quarter. The team then surged ahead, finishing the first half on a 19-5 run.
Unlike Monday’s win over Australia, the U.S. didn’t lose steam against Serbia, as the team outscored its European opponents 46-34 in the second half to win the game.
Derrick White made his first appearance for the U.S. national team since being named Kawhi Leonard’s replacement, while Kevin Durant missed his third straight exhibition match as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
USA Basketball Exhibition Schedule
The U.S. team is scheduled to play two more pre-Olympic exhibition matches in London, one against South Sudan on Saturday and another against Germany on Monday.
From there the team will face Serbia again on Sunday, July 28th to open the Olympics.
| date | Match | competition | time | Television Network |
| July 20 | Team USA vs. South Sudan | USA Basketball Showcase (London) | 3pm ET | Fox |
| July 22 | Team USA vs. Germany | USA Basketball Showcase (London) | 3pm ET | Fox |
After losing to Boston in the NBA playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton will team up with July Holiday and Jayson Tatum on Team USA.
