Team USA vs Serbia: 2016 Rio Summer Olympics Basketball Gold Medal Match Predictions, TV Info, Starting Lineup, Streaming

By Neal A. Lasta, CP Contributor Sunday, August 21, 2016

Team USA's Men's Basketball Team at the 2016 Rio Olympics wasn't the dominant force everyone initially expected them to be. It seemed some teams are catching up to USA in terms of basketball, and the margins between matches are narrower than they used to. Granted, Team USA is unbeaten so far and will play the gold medal match against Serbia this Sunday.

It seems fitting that USA will meet Serbia in the finals. The Serbians actually came closest to beating USA; the final score was 94-91, and the Serbians actually had enough time to shoot a three to tie the game for an overtime period.

Predictions

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Because of the superior skill set and athleticism of the NBA players in team USA, they are the favorites to win the gold medal. If that happens, it will be Carmelo Anthony's third gold medal, the highest in any Olympic basketball player in history. It will also be a fitting end to a successful Olympic coaching stint by Mike Krzyzewski, who announced his retirement earlier.

According to Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, Team USA is ahead 15.5 points over Serbia, and is therefore highly favored to win. But Serbia's teamwork and ability to adjust throughout the tournament can never be underestimated. If they can start well early, which was not the case in the first match, then Serbia has more than a decent chance of upsetting the favorites.

Klay Thompson needs to have a good game. He is the team's x-factor because Serbia will be focused on stopping USA's primary offensive weapons in Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. If Thompson can start the shooting streak going, which is something he didn't do in the first matchup, then Serbia will have to deal with another offensive threat.

For Serbia to upset the U.S., they need to prevent the fast break, which is probably too much to ask for given the team's athleticism. But Serbia can slow down the game, reduce turnovers, and start hitting threes. Nikola Jokic and Milos Teodesic are the players to look out for on the Serbian side.

TV Info

You can watch the USA vs Serbia Basketball Gold Medal Olympic Match through NBCSN. The game will start at 2.45 p.m. ET, on Sunday, August 21, 2016.

Starting Lineup

Team USA will probably start with the following players: Kyrie Irving (guard), Klay Thompson (guard), Kevin Durant (forward), Carmelo Anthony (forward) and DeAndre Jordan (center).

Serbia's starting lineup will be composed of Milos Teodosic (guard), Stefan Markovic (guard), Bogdan Bogdanovic (guard/forward), Nemanja Nedovic (guard) and Nikola Jokic (center).

Streaming of the game can be viewed through NBC Sports.