Team USA needs two more wins to complete its quest for Olympic gold in men’s basketball. After defeating Brazil in the quarterfinals, the Americans will take on Serbia in the semifinals of the tournament.
These two teams are very familiar with each other. The USA beat Serbia 105-79 in an exhibition game on July 17, then won again 110-84 during the group stage of this tournament.
Team USA hasn’t been challenged much yet, but Nikola Jokic can change that equation, as he showed in dominating down the stretch against Australia in Serbia’s 95-90 overtime victory on Tuesday.
Can Jokic stop the Americans from winning three in a row against his native country? The Sporting News breaks down the matchup below.
MORE: Updated Olympics basketball schedule, results
USA vs. Serbia prediction, picks
This USA roster is one of the best collections of talent ever assembled. LeBron James is still chugging along as one of the greatest players on the planet at the age of 39. He entered the quarterfinals averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds on a blistering 64.3 percent shooting from the field.
Kevin Durant has been just as good. He’s been a Serbia killer, dropping 23 points against Jokic’s squad in group play after hitting his first eight shots.
Stephen Curry is the one star who hasn’t gone off yet. He shot just 26.3 percent from 3 in group play. That won’t last forever.
MORE: Taking a closer look at Stephen Curry’s stats at the Olympics
The USA has great personnel to combat what Serbia tries to do, which is why it’s had relatively easy wins in those early games.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has been one of Serbia’s best scorers. The killer 3-point shooter has canned 48.0 percent of his looks from deep and averaged 18.5 points per game. Vasilije Micic is Serbia’s third-best player. The crafty guard is one of the best passers on the planet and a capable 3-point shooter as well.
Team USA has two All-Defensive guards to put on those two in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. International guards have not been able to break the ball pressure that they can put on opponents. Bogdanovic and Micic both had mediocre games in that first matchup.
Nobody is slowing down Jokic. He put up 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds in that group play game. He had an even more impressive 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to carry Serbia to this point in the tournament.
Despite Serbia having the best player on the court, the depth of Team USA should overwhelm it. It’s tough to beat the same opponent three times in a row, but LeBron and company should take care of business.
Prediction: USA wins
USA vs. Serbia betting odds
The betting odds for USA vs. Serbia have not been released. Check back for updates as they become available.
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline | |
| USA | — | — | — |
| Brazil | — | — | — |
MORE: Inside Australia’s collapse against Nikola Jokic, Serbia in quarterfinals
USA vs. Serbia key storyline: How to stop Nikola Jokic
Nobody has really been able to slow Jokic down in the NBA. In the Olympics, he’s been easier to contain because of his Serbian coach Svetislav Pešić. Jokic has gotten the ball much less in this tournament, and Serbia has suffered because of it. It has also completely collapsed whenever he’s been off the floor.
The USA needs to pile on during those minutes while Jokic is resting. It can also throw a lot of different looks at Jokic. Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis should all get turns against him. James has taken turns on Jokic during NBA games, and that could be an option as well.
The USA has a versatile roster that is capable of playing different styles. In the first matchup, Steve Kerr elected to use more guards and bigs. Jayson Tatum didn’t even enter the game at all. Kerr might choose to mimic that strategy again, playing Adebayo and Davis together to throw a ton of size at Jokic.
MORE: Kevin Durant becomes USA Basketball’s all-time leading rebounder
USA basketball Olympics schedule
Team USA went a perfect 5-0 during its pre-Olympics exhibition schedule and carried that momentum into the Games.
The United States swept Group C, defeating Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico to advance to the knockout round. It defeated Brazil to go to the semifinals.
You can find its full Olympic schedule and results below.
| Date | Stage | Opponent/Result | Time (ET) |
| July 28 | Group C | USA 110, Serbia 84 | — |
| July 31 | Group C | USA 103, South Sudan 86 | — |
| Aug. 3 | Group C | USA 104, Puerto Rico 83 | — |
| Aug. 6 | Quarterfinals | USA vs. Brazil | — |
| Aug. 8 | Semifinals | USA vs. Serbia | TBD |
| Aug. 10 | Gold/Bronze Medal | TBD | TBD |
