2024-07-29 10:10:02
The U.S. men’s basketball team got its quest for a fifth straight gold off to a flying start on Sunday, rolling past Serbia 110-84 thanks to monster performances from Kevin Durant and LeBron James. It was the sort of performance that solidified the Americans as clear favorites in this tournament. But what does it mean for their odds of moving on to the knockout round? Let’s break it down.
Which group is the U.S. in?
The United States is in Group C, along with Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico.
How does the group phase work in Olympic basketball?
Each team will play the other three teams in its group and will earn two points for a win, one point for a loss and zero points for a loss by forfeit.
At the end of the group phase, the top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Additionally, the two best third-place teams will also move on to the quarterfinals. All other teams are eliminated from the competition.
In the event of a tie in the standings between two teams in the same group, head-to-head results will be used as the tiebreaker. In the event of a tie between three or more teams, there is a list of further criteria that will be used to break the tie, starting with the highest point differential in games between the tied teams.
Full Group C standings: Where U.S. stands after win over Serbia
Here’s how things look in Group C after the first round of play, with the U.S. on top by point differential and South Sudan currently in second.
| Points | Differential | |
| United States | 2 | 26 |
| South Sudan | 2 | 11 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | -11 |
| Serbia | 1 | -26 |
Next up in group play on Wednesday, July 31: The U.S. meets the South Sudan team that almost upset them just a week ago, while Nikola Jokic looks to get Serbia back on track against Jose Alvarado and Puerto Rico.
