Joel Embiid shines in Team USA’s 95-91 win over Serbia to advance to final round
Down by 10+ points in the fourth quarter to Nikola Jokic and Serbia, Team USA relied on LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Joel Embiid (19 points) to mount a massive comeback to win 95-91, advancing to the Gold Medal game against host country France on Saturday.
Throughout the Olympics, Embiid has faced valid criticism for his slow start to international play that honestly, was downright horrible throughout Team USA’s five exhibition games and the start of the group stage.
Over the last three games, things really took a swing for the better for Joel Embiid. He remained in the starting lineup for Team USA alongside Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, and LeBron James and put together his third consecutive gem, finishing the game with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block on 8-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three point range.
Slow Start for Team USA
Everyone was bad to start the game against Serbia today, besides Steph Curry.
Curry went off almost immediately. He scored 14 of the first 15 points for the Americans while tallying 17 points at the end of the first quarter while the rest of Team USA shot just 1-for-8 from the field combined.
Nikola Jokic and Serbia took full advantage. They managed to build an 11-point lead at halftime, and really, kept a double-digit advantage well into the fourth while shutting down everything the American’s had to offer.
Second Half Run: Joel Embiid Ignites Team USA
Embiid opened up the second half with energy, knocking down yet another spot-up three and once again blowing by Jokić – delivering a forceful dunk to swing momentum back to Team USA.
Joel Embiid: “Process THAT”
Embiid Masterclass in the Fourth Quarter
With Team USA trailing by 13 points going into the fourth quarter, Embiid arguably had his best (and most important) fourth quarter of his career.
He scored seven straight points and got a huge a block on the defensive end that set up LeBron James with a game-tying bucket with roughly three and a half minutes left in the game.
Embiid silenced the hostile French crowd, social media, and most importantly played a pivotal role in the USA advancing to the final round. He finished with 19 points and 4 rebounds, shooting 8-of-11 from the field to go along with Steph Curry’s 36-point performance.
LeBron James notched an impressive triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The trio were the only three players to hit double figures for Team USA.
The fourth quarter was the ticket.
The Americans outscored Serbia 32-15 in the fourth quarter to secure a 95-91 victory and a trip to the Gold Medal game on Saturday against host country France.
Embiid, who droped a 70-burger on the head of Team France superstar Victor Wembanyama in the regular season last year, will now look to continue his impressive string of performances en route to a Gold Medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.
See you Saturday, August 10th at 3:30 p.m. EST for tip-off from Paris, France.
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Mandatory Credit: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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