LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way for Team USA in their blowout win over Serbia ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, as the Lakers duo got revenge on Nikola Jokic amid “ego” claims that potentially derailed the Stars and Stripes’ gold medal quest.
Facing the Joker for the first time since the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs in April (4-1), James, 39, scored just 5 points in the United States’ 105-74 victory in Abu Dhabi. The Americans improve to 3-0 on the team’s pre-Olympic tour after Wednesday’s game.
Davis, 31, scored just three points but put together a memorable defensive performance with six blocks, including a block off the glass 8 minutes into the fourth quarter that preceded a standing ovation.
Warriors guard Steph Curry led the U.S. in the matchup with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting overall, including 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
After a season in which he won the NBA championship with the Celtics, Jayson Tatum was disappointing, with no points, no assists and just one rebound.
LeBron James, 39, scored 5 points in the United States’ 105-74 victory over Serbia in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Anthony Davis blocked Nikola Jokic, who had problems in Abu Dhabi, in the first half
But he wasn’t the only NBA player struggling in the exhibition game, as Jokic, coming off his third MVP season with the Nuggets, scored 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting overall, including 0-of-2 3-point attempts.
Bam Adebayo scored at will, inside and out, and helped Davis make life difficult for Jokic, as the Heat center finished the game with 17 points. Team USA shot 16 of 36 from three-point range.
A highlight of the game was when Curry grabbed a loose ball on a lightning-fast layup from the left wing and drained his fifth 3-pointer of the game to extend the U.S. lead to 90-63. James then connected on a right-footed dunk after a lob from Adebayo.
The next possession was a spectacle of dribbling and passing that ended with another Curry 3-pointer, followed by James getting low and accelerating for a left-handed shot and a 31-point lead.
Jokic touched the ball on nearly every possession and passionately urged his teammates to defend, but to no avail. Jokic spent the fourth quarter sitting out Serbia and the United States before meeting again in the first Group C match for both countries at the Olympics on July 28.
Shooting and depth were highlighted as the U.S. rallied around Jokic on defense and distributed the ball with extra passes. Adebayo hit a 3-pointer from the top of the lane to extend the lead to 81-53 late in the third quarter.
Team USA ended the first half with a final kick fueled by high-energy defense and led 59-45 thanks to the bench outscoring the starters, 30-29.
The Americans will play two more games before the Olympics begin with the group stage later this month, against South Sudan next Saturday in London.