Team USA looks to win their third straight game while Puerto Rico seeks to stay alive in the 2024 Olympics in the group play finale on Saturday.
After punching their ticket to the quarterfinals, the United States men’s basketball team will conclude the preliminary round of the 2024 Olympics basketball tournament against Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Team USA is looking to stay undefeated, along with Canada, France and Germany.
Who: United States vs Puerto Rico
When: 8:15 a.m. PT, Aug 2
Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France
Watch: NBC, Peacock
Now that Team USA has qualified for the quarterfinals, this game means more to Puerto Rico than the red, white and blue. That’s not to say that the United States shouldn’t go all out in this one, but it’s also fair to say that this is probably going to be an easier task for the Americans compared to their last two games.
With all due respect to Puerto Rico, who genuinely deserve a spot to compete in the Olympics basketball tournament, they had a tough time keeping up with both South Sudan and Serbia — two teams the United States defeated by a combined 43 points.
The Puerto Ricans are coming off a brutal 41-point defeat against Serbia, which effectively ended their Olympics because of point differential. Short of beating Team USA by a margin akin to that, this will be their swan song.
That said, here are three storylines to look out for ahead of Friday’s battle:
It didn’t take long for Steve Kerr to clarify that he’s going to insert Joel Embiid — who didn’t play a single second against South Sudan — back to the starting unit against Puerto Rico.
The Golden State Warriors head coach also said that the main reason why he opted to start Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum last game was to match up with Sudan’s speed and prioritize switching and staying in front of them on defense. Needless to say, Kerr’s decision paid dividends as USA built a 21-point lead early in the game.
Honestly, all the talk about who’s starting and getting DNP-CD’s has been counterproductive. It has shifted the focus away from what truly matters, which is how Team USA has dominated the preliminary stage. As Kerr reiterated, the starting unit and his rotations will continuously change depending on the matchups in front of them.
Steve Kerr on stars getting DNP-CDs: "They’re pros & committed to each other. ... I don’t read social media. I would hope our guys aren’t paying too much attention to that. That’s a regular season thing where the soap opera can carry the ratings. Here, it’s just win a damn gold."
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024
Against Serbia, it was the brilliance of Kevin Durant and LeBron James — and Bam Adebayo and Anthony Edwards off the bench — that led the team versus South Sudan. The depth of talent this Team USA roster is off the charts and as each game passes, they’re looking like a team that’s just a tier or two above the rest of the field.
It’s safe to say that if the Americans surprisingly lose a game or two this month, it’s not going to be because of their lack of firepower contrary to what happened during the FIBA World Cup last year. It’s fun to think about who is going to be that guy for Team USA ahead of each game.
Aside from Team USA, the defending FIBA World Cup champions Germany, as well as Canada and host country France, remain perfect in the preliminary round. This only feels right because, based on their performance so far in the Olympics, they seem like the biggest threats to the United States’ success.
Remember, only eight of the 12 teams advance to the quarterfinals so there’s a good chance that Team USA will see at least one of their biggest threats in the next round. Note that according to FIBA, the groupings for the quarterfinals will be determined by a draw system once the preliminary round finishes.
Right now though, the focus of the Americans should be on Puerto Rico and how they can continue to build the continuity and momentum they need to be the best version of themselves. Let’s see the progress the United States can make in that regard as they look to claim their third victory in Paris on Friday.
USA's Anthony Davis said he was "100 percent" after appearing to tweak his ankle getting tangled up with former Lakers teammate Wenyen Gabriel.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024
Davis joked: "Wenyen being Wenyen. He's my guy. I was falling and he came down too and just kind of stepped on my foot."
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
