Paris Olympics

Team USA's defense and depth shut down Nikola Jokic and Serbia

Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Stephen Curry all play key roles in Team USA's exhibition victory over Serbia.

Shaun Powell

Shaun Powell

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Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis have been impressive together off the bench for Team USA.

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• USA 105, Serbia 79: Box score

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — There’s finally a method to making Nikola Jokic feel discomfort, show vulnerability and ultimately fall victim to a greater force.

And it’s a method only Team USA can provide.

Because when you can throw not one, not two but three superior big man defenders in his face, well, what’s a three-time NBA MVP to do? Other than miss 13 of 19 shots, that is.

As it were, the Olympic warm-up game between Jokic and Team USA amounted to nothing special. He was neutralized Wednesday and Team USA was satisfied with the most important result stemming from a breezy 105-79 victory over Serbia at Etihad Arena.

Game Recap: USA 105, Serbia 79

Stephen Curry (24 points) leads the way as Team USA defeats Serbia in Abu Dhabi.

Specifically, the Anthony Davis-Bam Adebayo tandem off the bench not only forced Nikola into tough shots and little impact, but for the last two weeks have displayed what this team will be all about at the Olympics: Defense and depth.

As USA coach Steve Kerr said, “We have plenty of guys who can score. That’s not a problem for us. We want defense, defense, defense.”  He added, “The identity of our team is the depth, the strength of our team is the depth.”

Davis satisfied both of those qualities with a 90-second sequence where he came off the bench and blocked Jokic twice, then forced him into a tough shot that led to an Anthony Edwards dunk. Everything that Kerr has wanted from this team was showcased right there.

Yet, there was more: Adebayo also supplied interior help and a tone was set. Plus, he surprisingly was aggressive offensively from deep, connecting on a 3-pointer to open his scoring, added two more and finished with 17 points. Once Davis and Adebayo entered the game halfway through the first quarter, they immediately seized control and helped build a 14-point halftime lead.

“Together they are really something,” said Kerr.

Davis, who finished with six blocks against Serbia, and Adebayo may be so complimentary that Kerr could keep them stashed on the second unit for the Olympics. Davis can make a case as the starting center, mainly because he has impressed at both ends.

Instead, Kerr for the third straight game had Embiid with LeBron James and Steph Curry, and said: “We do have options but I like those three.”

One of Team USA’s mandates for Paris, and perhaps the most important one, is to cast a large flex in the paint. They lacked muscle last year at the World Cup, but that was the B-team that offered only Adebayo as a proven symbol of resistance.

Once the Americans put the full-court press on Embiid and won his commitment for Team USA — Embiid could’ve played for France — a big question mark was erased. Then, it was just a matter of penciling in Davis and suddenly, USA’s front line was fortified by three All-Stars.

And for Jokic, the depth that was missing from Team USA at the World Cup, was a problem Wednesday.

“Just having [Davis] back there for rim protection, it’s a big help,” Adebayo said. “Not only that, but him being versatile, being able to switch [defensively] one through five.”

Understand that Jokic has a rich history of one-upping American centers in his day job with the Nuggets. It’s how he built his reputation as not only the most decorated big man currently active in the game but arguably the world’s greatest regardless of position.

Davis, Embiid and Adebayo have historically been able to shut down just about every other big man on the planet, except one. Jokic has a strong track record against all three.

• Jokic vs. Davis: Jokic sent him home twice the last two years, most famously in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, when he was named the series MVP. His step-back, fadeaway 3-pointer dropped over Davis’ desperate reach to beat the 24-second clock buzzer in Game 4 of that sweep became the signature moment.

• Jokic vs Embiid: The Sixer actually enjoyed a few monster performances against Jokic, both in their last meetings — 47 points and 18 rebounds in one, and 41 and 10 assists in the other. Embiid is also 6-2 head-to-head record against Jokic but those numbers don’t reflect the real head-to-head — that’s three MVPs for Jokic to Embiid’s one. The one Embiid did capture, Jokic was a close runner-up.

• Jokic vs. Adebayo: The masterclass of Jokic’s career came at the expense of Adebayo, in the 2023 NBA Finals. Adebayo actually was solid in that series and the only consistent player for the Heat, averaging nearly 22 points and 12.4 rebounds. But, Jokic: around 30 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.4 blocks on 58% and 42% shooting.

And yet, when confronted with all three Wednesday, Nikola met more than his match.

Fast Finish

Compared to a six-point, somewhat suspenseful and definitely sloppy win Monday over Australia, this contest was comfortable. Against the Aussies, the Americans relaxed in the fourth quarter, and had 18 turnovers for the game.

This time, Kerr put the starters — Embiid, Curry, LeBron, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum — back into the game with 6 1/2 minutes left, if only to send his team a message about finishing strong.

When LeBron dunked off a lob and Holiday threw a back-flip pass for a Curry 3-pointer, message was received.

Return of the Splash

This was also a “comeback” game for Steph Curry if only because he was uncharacteristically chilly two nights earlier against Australia, missing five of his six shot attempts.

Well: Curry beat his point total less than two minutes into a strong start against the Serbs. It was one 3-pointer, followed by another, then another, etc. By halftime, Curry had delivered a clean 18 points in just 11 minutes, his strongest stretch in these showcase games by far.

It was a strange sight, though, because with Kerr still sampling lineups, Curry actually sat along with the other starters after that stretch — something that would never happen in a Warriors’ game.

But again, depth.

London Calling

 It’s now off to London for Team USA and its final two exhibitions, against South Sudan and Germany.

The reception paid to this team has been strong so far. Las Vegas had a full house, with former President Barack Obama watching from court side. As for Abu Dhabi, what was most impressive for the two games was how fans lined up for 90 minutes in the sweltering humidity before the doors opened.

London will be a case study if only because England has never shown a deep passion for basketball. There’s scant talent development at the grassroots level, and the jerseys worn by soccer stars are vastly more popular in the stores and on the backs of fans.

Plus, Germany and South Sudan aren’t expected to be medal contenders in Paris.

But the global pull of Curry and LeBron should never be underestimated.

The USA men play Saturday and Monday, then will stay behind for the women’s game Tuesday against Germany before departing for Paris.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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