USA vs Serbia: Analysis and Prediction – USA will play against Serbia in the Olympics 2024 Semifinals.
USA vs Serbia Odds
Below are betting odds (at the time of writing) for USA vs Serbia provided by Bovada Sportsbook:
Win:
- USA ( -2500 American / 1.04 Decimal)
- Serbia (+900 / 10.00)
Spread:
- -17.5 (-112 / 1.89)
- +17.5 (-112 / 1.89)
Total:
- O 183.5 (-110 / 1.91)
- U 183.5 (-110 / 1.91)
Claim Now USA Team News
In the previous match, the USA outplayed Brazil convincingly 122:87, in a match in which Devin Booker with 18 points and Anthony Edwards with 17 points were the most effective. Now they face their third duel against Serbia in a very short time, in which they will have to play their best so far, if they want to reach the final.
Unlike the remaining three quarterfinal duels, in which the underdog caused major problems for the favorites in the opening minutes, the USA did not allow Brazil to do so. From the very start, Steve Kerr’s team played extremely dominantly thanks mostly to Joel Embiid, who played probably the best game of the tournament. The center of the Philadelphia 76ers scored 14 points, three of which were three-pointers, and in this way contributed to Brazil being discouraged in the early stages. Again, the USA shot close to 50 percent from three-point range, and when they do, they are unbeatable. They allowed just one series for opponent in the second period, when Brazil closed to minus eight, but from that moment there was only one team on the court. Most importantly, Steve Kerr distributed the minutes correctly, so that everyone played about 15 minutes and will be more than ready to face Serbia in the next match. Kevin Durant became the best scorer in the history of the American national team, in the last match, against Brazil, so he enters the duel against Svetislav Pesic’s team with additional motivation, and when you add to all that that 122 points is the most that the USA achieved so far, then there is no doubt that are in excellent shape.
USA will be a big favorite against Serbia. They have played twice in the last few weeks and both times have beaten their rivals by high margins, with a real competitive clash yet to come. For the USA, half the job is done if they find a way to stop Nikola Jokic, on whom everything in Serbia’s game will depend.
Serbia Team News
In the previous game, Serbia beat Australia 95:90 after overtime, in a match where Nikola Jokic was the most effective with 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists and Bogdan Bogdanovic with 17 points. Now they have a new duel against the USA, the second after just a few days and a meeting in the group stage.
Serbia showed two faces against Australia. In the first 15 minutes, they were completely outplayed and allowed almost 50 points to their rival. There was no aggressiveness in defense, fouls were not used properly, and neither were Nikola Jokic’s opportunities in offense. The impression is that the NBA MVP did not get enough balls in the paint in which he is dominant compared to all the players in the tournament, let alone compared to the undersized centers that Brian Goorjian’s team had. When that was the case, it is logical that Serbia lost a 24-point difference at one point, only for that to start to change, when the defense of Svetislav Pesic’s team started to improve. The fact that the experienced head coach had another center on the court at one point, Nikola Milutinov, together with Nikola Jokic, also played a role, so by the end of the first half, Serbia regained stability in the rebound. All of that had an impact on this team’s initial rush, which continued in the third quarter. The fact that Patty Mills scored eight points from the second quarter, ending with overtime, and as many as 18 in the first 10 minutes speaks a lot about Serbia’s defense. Serbia got the necessary width in this match, considering that after the clash against South Sudan, there was the fear that apart from Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, no one makes a top contribution. That changed, so Vasilije Micic took responsibility when needed, as did Aleksa Avramovic, Ognjen Dobric, Filip Petrusev, but also Marko Guduric, who was not in a shooting mood, which he replaced with great energy.
Now Serbia must not allow itself a weaker entry into the duel, because the USA will immediately lead by a large margin, which this time Svetislav Pesic’s team will not be able to achieve so easily. The key in this match is in the defense, because in this way Serbia will stop the flow of the ball and the game in transition, which is the hallmark of the rivals. In addition, Serbia must have a better shot compared to the previous duels, be competitive in the rebound and keep low number of turnovers, if they want to be in the game as long as possible.
Every day, “Basketball Sphere” provides all its readers with the best predictions for today’s games.
If you are reading our analysis for the first time, then it is important to mention that every day we also offer to our readers a “Acca of the Day” completely free.
USA vs Serbia H2H
USA won the last two meetings – in a pre-tournament friendly and in the group stage a few days ago.
Absences and Injuries
USA should be complete, while Serbia’s Nikola Jovic is questionable.
USA vs Serbia Prediction
USA has looked very dominant in the tournament so far. In the first clash between the two teams in the group stage, Steve Kerr’s team won 110:84, which may not reflect the real situation on the floor, especially because of the first half in which Kevin Durant was masterful and gave his team a certain advantage. At the same time, Nikola Jokic did not have a lot of minutes, since he spent 30 minutes on the court and during that time Serbia was even with him, and without him at minus 26, which is the ultimate difference. It is now expected that the MVP of the NBA will be on the court almost every minute, and that he will therefore have an even greater influence on the result in a positive sense for Serbia. So, regardless of the fact that Svetislav Pesic’s team does not have a great chance to win, primarily due to poor three-point shooting, which is a liability against the USA, but also insufficient defensive potential, our prediction is that Serbia will not lose by a margin higher than the offered spread.
Tip-off Time: Thursday, 08.08.2024.
Prediction: Serbia +18.5
Odds: -132 (1.76 for decimal odds)
Sportsbook: Bovada.lv
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
We found the best odds for this game at the popular Bovada sportsbook. You will get an attractive Welcome Bonus for all newly registered customers if you register today.
Top Betting Offers 2024:
