Men’s basketball continued on the courts of Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille at Paris 2024 on Wednesday 31 July, featuring a pair of blowouts.
The first game of the day saw Serbia dominate Puerto Rico, taking an early lead and never looking back en route to a 107-66 victory. The Serbians shared the ball well with seven different players scoring in double figures, racking up 28 assists as a unit. Nikola Jokic showed why he is a three-time NBA MVP, scoring 14 points to go along with 15 rebounds and nine assists, falling just short of a triple-double. Vasilije Micić also added 13 points and seven assists. Puerto Rico had just two players in double figures, led by 19 points from Christopher Ortiz and 10 from Ismael Romero.
Following a competitive matchup that came down to the wire during the tune-up series, Team USA handled business in a much anticipated rematch against South Sudan by a final score of 103-86. The United States had six players in double figures, led by Bam Adebayo’s 18 points off the bench, and shot 53 per cent from the field as a team. South Sudan put up another valiant effort, led by 24 points from Nuni Omot.