USA vs. Serbia: Score and Reaction from 2016 Olympic Men's Basketball

It required a sigh of relief as Bogdan Bogdanovic's potential game-tying three-pointer missed in the final seconds of Friday's Group A showdown at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but the United States men's basketball team beat Serbia 94-91 to improve to 4-0.

The Americans survived a late charge after building an early 18-point lead and again struggled to put away an opponent after surviving Australia with a late surge and 10-point win Wednesday. Serbia gradually chipped away at the advantage the United States held for the entire game before it found itself with the ball with a chance to tie.

Serbia shot 51.7 percent from the field and consistently exploited lackluster defense from the United States. Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports pointed out one area of concern for the Americans:

While it was closer than they wanted, the Americans still won their fourth game in as many tries in Rio. Six players scored in double figures, and Kyrie Irving led the way with 15 points. Serbia was largely a four-man offensive show, with Nikola Jokic (25 points), Milos Teodosic (18 points), Miroslav Raduljica (18 points) and Stefan Markovic (12 points) spearheading the effort.

The Americans trailed Australia at halftime and were motivated to avoid a similar fate Friday. They scored the first nine points of the game, and DeMarcus Cousins got the chance to show off some of his skills in the open court, as Sam Amick of USA Today described:

The United States went to its bench in the first quarter and extended the lead thanks to a strong defensive effort. Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports praised the defensive showing from the five-man combination of DeAndre Jordan, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson and Kyle Lowry, who overwhelmed Serbia with a combination of length and athleticism.

It wasn't just defense that helped the Americans build a 27-15 lead by the end of the first quarter. Seven players scored for the United States in the first, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com was not surprised by the developments:

Despite the strong start, the Americans let their foot off the gas in the second quarter and allowed Serbia to climb to within single digits at 36-27. Teodosic started to beat the United States' traps while serving as both a scorer and facilitator.

Markovic made it 44-35 with a long three-pointer, but the United States staved off further runs and took a 50-41 lead into the locker room behind 11 points from Irving.

Serbia continued to hang tough with the U.S. in the third quarter and closed the deficit to 58-53 with a Jokic dunk. Fran Fraschilla of ESPN had some harsh words for the Americans as they watched their once-overwhelming lead dwindle:

Devine praised Serbia for its strategy:

Part of the issue for the United States was its inability to consistently counter Jokic, who served as a low-post scorer and found open perimeter shooters. However, the Americans closed the third on a 7-2 run to take a 72-62 lead into the fourth.

Serbia wouldn't go away, and a Teodosic three made it 77-73 with 7:28 left. The United States received a break when Raduljica fouled out with nearly six minutes remaining, but that didn't help it pull away for good.

It was still a two-possession game, 87-82, following a three-pointer by Markovic, and a Jokic three later made it 90-85. Carmelo Anthony—who surpassed LeBron James as the highest scorer in the history of the United States men's national team Wednesday—was playing with four fouls. 

On cue, Anthony bailed out the Americans, converting a mid-range jumper with 2:11 left to stretch the lead to 94-87. Mannix raised an interesting question:

It still wasn't enough to pull away from Serbia, as Teodosic made it 94-91 with two free throws with 1:18 remaining.

Neither team scored on the next four possessions, but Bogdanovic had a great look in the waning seconds to tie it. However, his three-pointer rimmed out. While it was a victory, the United States again looked far from the dominant force many expected at the 2016 Games.

What's Next?

The Americans will square off with France in group play Sunday in what should be a test before the bracket competition begins.

France features notable players such as Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw, who will be familiar with how the household names on the U.S. play from their NBA battles. The French team is 2-1 and has an opportunity to move to 3-1 and within a game of the Americans with a victory against Venezuela on Friday.

The United States has done enough to advance to the quarterfinals, but another win would give it plenty of momentum heading into the next stage and the favorable seeding that would come with first place in Group A.

It will likely take a stronger effort than the one in the final three quarters Friday to beat France.

Postgame Reaction

Kevin Durant talked about how the game nearly slipped away from the Americans, per the Associated Press, via the New York Times: “We got in our own heads. We had a great start, great start. We were up almost 20 points. We should have held the lead and we just got sidetracked by stupid stuff, from the calls to the physicality, the extra plays. We got to stay with it. That's the way it's going to be out here.”

On the other side, Teodosic lamented the slow start, per the Associated Press: “We are that kind of a team that we never give up and we showed this today. This is third game in a row that we have a very bad beginning, and especially (against) the teams like the United States, it's very tough to get back in the game when you are losing by 10 or 15 in the beginning.”

Had Serbia started more effectively, it may have sprung the shocking upset. Alas, the Americans survived another challenge, but it is clear winning every game will be far from easy at the Rio Games.