USA men’s basketball team suffers a huge blow as two key stars are struck down with illness one day before Olympic opener against Serbia
Team USA’s men’s basketball Olympic season has gotten off to a rocky start, with two stars falling ill ahead of their opening game in Paris.
The all-star cast of NBA players representing the United States were without their two main men during several practices in preparation for Sunday’s match against Serbia.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid missed practice on Saturday and LA Lakers great Anthony Davis has been absent from practice in recent days, both due to illness. However, coach Steve Kerr remains hopeful his entire roster will be available for tipoff.
I am confident that we have everyone ready [Sunday]”, Kerr said.
The Golden State Warriors coach’s statement implies that Kevin Durant will also be available, despite suffering a calf injury early in training camp. The two-time NBA champion was participating in his third straight practice after missing all five of Team USA’s exhibition games.
Two American basketball stars have already struggled with illnesses before their opening match
Centers Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis have been dealing with illness in Paris over the past week
‘Hopefully [he’ll play]’ Kerr said. ‘He came through the scrimmage two days ago pretty good, and we’re going to go back to practice today and just take it day by day.’
Durant is Team USA’s all-time leading scorer at the Olympics. Despite predicting his availability, Kerr has not committed to starting him right away. His countrymen, however, have made it clear they’re eager to have him on the court.
“Immediate impact,” LeBron James said of Durant on Saturday. “He looked extremely good the other day in practice. Obviously his wind and his rhythm will continue to come, but if we get him back and we can make a huge impact for our club.”
Meanwhile, two-time champion Jrue Holiday added: “That’s Kevin Durant. What are we even talking about?”
Coach Steve Kerr remains positive his full squad will be available on Sunday
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant missed all of their practice games due to a calf injury
The Americans will face Nikola Jokic and Serbia in their opening match at the Olympics
LeBron James and Davis argued that their preparation will help them beat the Nuggets’ big man
Team USA will be hoping to contain a familiar and frequent foe in Nikola Jokic, as he leads Serbia in games. LeBron and Co. enter the game with some momentum after beating Serbia 105-79 in a July 17 exhibition by limiting The Joker to 6 of 19 shots.
However, the Serbs won their last tune-up match against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece with a convincing 20-point lead. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 19 points while Jokic had a near-triple-double with 16 points, eight boards and six dishes.
“Jokic, given what he can do, we know what he can do in the NBA, but if he gets used a little bit more in international play,” Davis said. “That’s going to be fun.”
“This isn’t like the NBA, where it’s a marathon,” James said. “This is a sprint. This is a Michael Johnson/Usain Bolt type of game. The real work starts tomorrow … so we have to be ready to go, which we are going to be.”