The USA is just a couple of days away from a semifinal showdown with Nikola Jokic and Serbia a game that should be tighter than their previous meeting in the group stage and it enters the game with a couple of bumps and bruises.
LeBron James left the game in the third quarter after an incidental elbow just above his left eye from Brazil’s Georginho De Paula. He needed four stitches to close it, USA coach Steve Kerr said postgame. LeBron returned to the bench in the fourth quarter just as the crowd erupted for French swimmer Léon Marchand, who had entered the building but did not return to the court, as the game was well in hand by that point. After the game, LeBron told ESPNs Marc Spears, “I’m ok. I just got hit with an inadvertent elbow.”
Joel Embiid led the USA in scoring in the first half with 14 points but didn’t play in the second half after telling Kerr he had some ankle discomfort. Much like the LeBron situation, with the USA up 27 at the half, there was no reason to push Embiid to return. Anthony Davis started the second half and the USA cruised to the win.
Kerr will want both LeBron and Embiid vs. Serbia.
Embiid because he is a big body brought in partially just for this matchup against Jokic as great a defender as Davis is, Jokic can punish him inside. With LeBron, the USA started to pull away from Serbia in the group stage game when the Serbs tried to double LeBron at points and he carved them up with his passing. Both of those things will matter on Thursday (3 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock) if the USA is going to play for gold.