Team USA guard Tyrese Haliburton opened up about his feelings during the Olympic semi-final against Serbia. The Indiana Pacers All-Star, who didn’t get to play in this game, admitted to feeling uneasy towards the end of the third quarter.
“I wouldn’t say there was ever doubt that we would win games, but the one time I maybe felt a little uneasy was at the end of the third quarter against Serbia,” Haliburton shared on The Pac McAfee Show, via HoopsHype. Despite Serbia leading for most of the game, he remained hopeful.
“They were winning the whole game, but I thought, ‘We’re going to win, right?’ Then our starters pushed the lead, and they got it back to about 15 going into the fourth. I was like, ‘Jokic, something could happen here.’ They cut it to eight within two minutes, but I was like, ‘We’re fine. We’re going to be fine,'” he said.
Team USA eventually overcame a 17-point deficit to secure a 95-91 victory over Serbia. With only 8 seconds remaining and the Serbs trailing by two points (93-91), Steph Curry’s two free-throws provided a crucial cushion. The Americans trailed by 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter.
Curry was pivotal for Team USA, scoring a game-high 36 points and hitting nine three-pointers. Joel Embiid added 19 points, while LeBron James recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kevin Durant also contributed with nine points.
Serbia’s leading scorers included Bogdan Bogdanovic with 20 points, Nikola Jokic with 17 points and 11 assists, and Aleksa Avramovic who added 15 points.
