United States vs Serbia final score: Curry shines as USA comes back to beat Serbia in Olympic Semifinal, 95-91

In an all-time Olympic thriller, Team USA snuck by Serbia, 95-91, to make their 5th consecutive gold medal game. Serbia led by as many as 17 points and held the lead for 35 minutes of this game. The Americans overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, led by Stephen Curry, Lebron James, and Joel Embiid. Curry went off early and kept sizzling throughout the game en route to 36 points, the second-most in USA Olympic history. Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanović fought valiantly for Serbia, but ran out of gas late.

Game Summary

Curry finally got hot in the Olympics. He scored 14 of Team USA’s first 15 points with four three-point baskets in the first five minutes. However, Nikola Jokic was everywhere on both ends for the Serbs as he played the entire first quarter. Serbia led by 8 at the end of the first quarter.

They would extend the lead to double-digits on a banked-in three by Micic with 8:17 left in the first half and pushed the lead out to 15 before the break. Team USA just couldn’t put together stops and buckets enough to break through Serbia’s lead. They couldn’t match the Serbian energy and Steve Kerr’s lineups seemed to lack cohesion.

Team USA looked much better in the third quarter, but still couldn’t break through. They pulled within six late in the 3rd frame, thanks to heroics from Steph Curry. But Serbia continued to extend their lead to 16 points by the end of the quarter and led by 13 going into the final quarter. Kerr sent out a lineup of Curry-Booker-Lebron-Durant-Davis start the fourth for USA. They pulled within 5 with Lebron leading the charge as Jokic picked up his fourth foul with 7:19 left in the game. The momentum tilted back-and-forth down the stretch as Joel Embiid and Nikola Milutinov battled in the paint.

Then, the American finally broke through. Lebron blew by the entire defense for a layup to tie the game at 84-84. Steph Curry finally gave the USA a lead with 2:11 left on a deep 3-pointer set up by an Embiid screen. Defensively, the USA dialed up the pressure in the fourth quarter and forced three massive turnovers in the last two minutes. Curry put the game away with two free throws in a fitting end to the night.

Notes

• Curry’s 36 points and nine triples were both the second-most in Team USA Olympic history, behind Carmelo Anthony’s 37 points and 10 threes against Nigeria in the 2012 London games. Speaking of Melo, he was sitting courtside with his son and Dirk Nowitzki. The Serbians continually turned to him after big plays to do his celebration or just mean mug. Melo clearly enjoyed it and kept talking throughout the game.
• Serbia was simply better than the United States for the vast majority of the game. Jokic operated with ease in the high post and Serbia’s hot shooting opened up even more space for his passing. Jokic finished with 17 points and 11 assists. His defensive energy and effort were also outstanding as they have been throughout the Olympics. Serbia shot 56% (18-of-32) from deep with Aleksa Avramovic leading the team with four threes.
• Bogdanovic was truly special. He attacked Team USA’s lackluster pick-and-roll coverage and worked hard to get open in Serbia’s moving offense. The US turned up the pressure on him and still watched as he buried bucket after bucket. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field. He also emotionally drove the team with his energy and effort.

USA vs France in the Final at 2:30 on Saturday! If today’s games are any indication, the final will be an instant classic.