US men’s basketball team dominates Serbia in Paris Olympics preview

The U.S. men’s basketball team squared off against its opening Paris Olympics opponent on Wednesday and came through with its best performance yet.

Team USA defeated Serbia 105-79 in Abu Dhabi in the third of its five pre-Olympics exhibitions. Steph Curry paved the way with a team-high 24 points, while Bam Adebayo contributed 17 points and seven rebounds.

The U.S. couldn’t pull away from Nikola Jokic and Serbia early, as the game was knotted at 40 midway through the second quarter. The team then turned on the jets, closing out the first half on a 19-5 run.

Unlike Monday’s matchup against Australia, the U.S. kept its foot on the gas versus Serbia. The team outscored its European counterpart 46-34 in the second half to close out the convincing victory.

Derrick White got his first minutes with Team USA since being named Kawhi Leonard’s replacement on the roster. Kevin Durant, meanwhile, missed his third straight exhibition as he continues to recover from a calf injury.

USA Basketball exhibition schedule

Team USA will have two more pre-Olympic exhibitions in London, one on Saturday against South Sudan and the other on Monday against Germany.

From there, the team will face Serbia once again on Sunday, July 28, to open Olympic play.

After losing to Boston in the NBA Playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton will now team up with Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum on Team USA.