Inside The Nuggets

Joel Embiid's Statement on Facing Nikola Jokic in Paris Olympics Semifinals

Team USA is ready for whatever Serbia has planned in the 2024 Paris Olympics Semifinals
Joey Linn|
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA center Joel Embiid (11) looks on during the third quarter against Canada in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena.
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA center Joel Embiid (11) looks on during the third quarter against Canada in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. | Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

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USA and Serbia will face off in the 2024 Paris Olympics Men's Basketball semifinals game on Thursday. This will be the third time these two teams have faced off this summer, with Team USA winning the previous two games.

In their previous matchup, Serbia played USA even in Nikola Jokic's 31 minutes, but were outscored 29-3 in his nine minutes off the court. Recognizing this dynamic, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr is anticipating Jokic to potentially go the distance for Serbia in this game.

"We can't get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice," Kerr said of Serbia, via Brian Windhorst of ESPN. "We have to be prepared for their best effort. We've got to think about what are they going to do differently. Jokic, I guess he could play 40 minutes. What else do they have up their sleeve?"

Serbia center Nikola Jokic and United States forward LeBron James
Serbia center Nikola Jokic (15) and United States forward LeBron James (6) jump for a rebound in the fourth quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. | John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

On the possibility of Jokic playing every minute of this semifinals game, USA center Joel Embiid said via ESPN, "I guess we'll be ready for that. If that's what they think they have to do to try to beat us, then they won't hesitate to do that."

Embiid has had some great battles with Jokic in the NBA, and is now set to face off with the three-time league MVP in an Olympics semifinals game.

The Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers are two of the better teams in basketball, and they are led by two dominant centers.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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