PARIS, France — After taking a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter, Serbia's men's basketball lost a tight semifinal game on Thursday afternoon against Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
Serbia, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic, led 76-63 over the U.S. team after three quarters. Former Gonzaga big man Filip Petrusev was one of the starters for Serbia and finished with nine points and five rebounds.
Stephen Curry led Team USA with a whopping 36 points, which included 9-of-14 shooting from behind the three-point line. Former Seattle Supersonic Kevin Durant chipped in nine points of his own off the bench, and LeBron James had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the winning effort.
Petrusev and Serbia will now go for the bronze medal on Saturday against Germany, who was defeated by host France in the other semifinal on Thursday.
Serbia's most recent Olympic medal came in 2016 when they took home a silver medal in Rio De Janeiro.
Petrusev was born in Belgrade, Serbia before coming to the U.S. for high school. After stints at schools in Connecticut and Florida, he began playing for Gonzaga in 2018.
After winning West Coast Conference player of the year, Petrusev declared for the NBA Draft in 2020 before deciding to withdraw and instead begin playing professionally overseas. He eventually played a few games for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings before signing a three-year contract with Olympiacos of Greece in November 2023.
The Paris Olympics men's basketball bronze medal game will be at 2 a.m. PT on Saturday, followed by the Team USA vs. France matchup for the gold medal at 12:30 p.m.
