In Wednesday’s practice, the United States uncovered its greatest strategy to counter the greatest opponent it would face in the Olympic tournament. The reigning MVP Nikola Jokić played in Serbia’s 27-point loss, but he only managed to score six points, had two assists, and missed all four of his three-point attempts.

Before starting group play in Paris with a rematch against Serbia later this month, Team USA surged away from what started as a 40-40 game, rolling to a 105-79 victory with two games left in London. This was the first of three exhibitions in which Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday played together.

 

Tatum made his first assistless basket while finishing with four points, five boards, two steals, and four turnovers. He was 0 for 2 from beyond the arc and 0 for 3 from beyond the arc. Holiday contributed eight points, two assists, and a steal while shooting 2-for-3 and making both three-point attempts.

 

 

 

Steph Curry defeated Aleksa Avramović in an early duel by draining three consecutive shots, including two threes. At 16-13, the United States switched to the double-big formation that has been so effective in their scrimmages, featuring Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo. Right away, Davis obstructed Jokić, and Adebayo took one of four offensive rebounds before making a game-winning three-pointer late in the first quarter. His 3-for-5 performance was his best in an NBA game. They were joined by Anthony Edwards, who came off the bench to score seven points in a row to end the quarter. The US continued to commit turnovers, which led to the final score of 28-28.

To start the second half, Tatum and Holiday made two more turnovers, which allowed Marko Gudurić and Vasilije Micić to make threes and put the team in a six-point hole. After getting within one point on Joel Embiid’s free throws and a Holiday cut, the Americans went on an 8-0 run that they never recovered from, thanks to two threes by Curry. He hit 6-of-9 long-range shots and scored 24 points. The US extended their lead to 16-2 following two more dunks by Davis on Jokić. This set the US on a tear, leading to White’s first point on two free throws, and another spectacular finish by Edwards. The United States of America led 59-45 at halftime.Holiday started a 5-0 run with a three-pointer thirty seconds into the third, and the extended run reached 29-5 midway through the third. The margin was extended to 26 points before James connected with Tatum for his initial points inside, thanks to a James layup, a put-back by Embiid, and Holiday’s second three. Edwards started the fourth quarter with a 28-point lead after Devin Booker and Adebayo made consecutive threes later in the term to preserve the lead.

By the last period, the game had gotten out of hand, and Serbia’s three-point shooting had dropped to 29%. Jokić’s energy level dropped as Davis continued to pile up blocks, solidifying his position as the most influential US player in the victory with six rejections. Although the United States won White’s minutes by six, he missed his lone shot attempt in nine minutes of play. Although Embiid’s shooting percentage of 2-for-8 raises doubts about his status as the starting center for the upcoming Olympics, nobody doubts the United States’ capacity to win gold considering their performance against elite opponents in exhibitions. Plus, Kevin Durant is still sidelined with a calf issue, so this is without him.

Although they are both competing for starting jobs, Tatum and Holiday are now serving as offensive supporting cast members. White is primarily used as a deep reserve, and Tatum’s three-point shooting has been under scrutiny since the playoffs. Beginning his summer with the US, he missed three shots, bringing his percentage down to 28% from 3 since the playoffs started. As far as anyone can tell, Holiday is the connecting element that the United States placed a premium on when making its pick.

Next up for Team USA is an exhibition match versus South Sudan this coming Saturday at 3 EST.