Joel Embiid stayed on the bench for the entire second half of the United States men’s basketball team’s quarterfinal matchup against Brazil at the Paris Olympics.
He got plenty of good work done before halftime.
The Sixers’ All-Star big man posted 14 points Tuesday on 5-for-6 shooting and seven rebounds in a 122-87 victory.
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In the semifinals, Team USA will play Serbia, who erased a 24-point deficit and edged out Australia in overtime. Superstar center Nikola Jokic tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Former Sixers second-round picks Vasilije Micic and Filip Petrusev have also been key players for Serbia in this Olympics.
Germany beat Greece and France topped Canada in Tuesday’s other quarterfinals. Both semifinals are scheduled for Thursday.
Embiid started and matched up against Bruno Caboclo, who scored a game-high 30 points. With the exception of a turnover on his first touch, Embiid had a smooth, strong opening stint.
He drained two long-range jumpers and hit a short push shot in the first quarter. Team USA’s starters subbed out after a four-point play from Devin Booker (18 points on the day) stretched the Americans’ lead to 27-14. At that stage, the team was 11 for 14 from the field and 7 for 10 from three-point range.
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Brazil made a 13-2 push in the second quarter and cut Team USA’s advantage to single digits, but that blip didn’t last long.
On his first shot of the second period, Embiid sunk a trailing three. He brought out his DX-inspired crotch chop celebration after converting a put-back, and-one layup. Safe to say he enjoyed himself Tuesday.
Team USA closed the first half on a 15-0 surge and took a 27-point lead on an inbounds alley-oop from LeBron James (12 points, nine assists) to Jayson Tatum.
The second half was drama-free for the Americans.
They'll certainly be the fresher squad in Thursday's semifinal meeting with Serbia.