Team USA Hopes For Embiid, Davis, And Durant's Return In Olympic Opener
Team USA are optimistic about having all players fit for Sunday’s Olympic basketball opener against Serbia. There are concerns over Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant. Embiid and Davis have been unwell recently, while Durant missed five warm-up games due to a calf injury.
Coach Steve Kerr is hopeful that his key players will be ready for the game against NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in their opening Group C match. "I'm confident we'll have everybody ready," Kerr stated on Saturday. Regarding Durant's condition, he added, "Hopefully he'll play. He came through the scrimmage two days ago pretty well, and we'll have another practice today and just keep taking it day by day."
The USA team previously defeated Serbia 105-79 in an exhibition game in Abu Dhabi earlier this month. They also triumphed over Jokic and his team in the gold medal match at Rio 2016. Jokic had an impressive season with the Denver Nuggets, averaging 26.4 points through 79 regular-season games in 2023-24.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis acknowledges the challenge Jokic poses to their chances of starting with a win as they aim for a fifth consecutive gold medal in men’s basketball. "Jokic, with what he's able to do, obviously we know what he does in the NBA, but maybe he'll get a little bit higher usage in the international game," Davis said. "It's going to be fun."
The NBA's all-time leading scorer LeBron James emphasised the importance of a strong start to their campaign. "This is not like the NBA, where it's a marathon," James said. "This is a sprint. This is a Michael Johnson or Usain Bolt-type game. The real thing starts tomorrow, so we need to be ready to go, which we will be."
Gameday -1 in France! The #USABMNT heads to Lille later today for the Olympic opener vs Serbia on Sunday (11:15 am ET, NBC) pic.twitter.com/1Hb1AIiMq9
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 27, 2024
As Team USA prepares for their match against Serbia on Sunday at 11:15 am ET, they remain focused on ensuring all players are fit and ready to compete at their best.
Sign in with Google