Steph Curry vs Bogdan Bogdanovic: Closer look at USA and Serbia guards' Paris Olympics so far
The USA versus Serbia semifinals at the Paris Olympics promises to be a blockbuster matchup and Steph Curry and Bogdan Bogdanovic will be key figures for their teams in the must-win game. The rival guards are regarded as two of the game's great shooters and will need to be at their best on Thursday if they hope to guide their respective nations to the championship game.
Steph Curry is a two-time NBA MVP and has won four championships with the Golden State Warriors. Over the last 15 years, the 36-year-old has revolutionized the way the game is played. The Warriors' fast-paced, run-and-gun style has been emulated by teams across the globe, and Curry, regarded as one of the greatest 3-point shooters in history, has been integral to the sucess of that system.
Unfortunately for Team USA, Curry is yet to hit his stride at the Olympics. The sharpshooter scored just 11 points on 4/8 shooting in the opening game versus Serbia and failed to break the double-digit mark since. The 10-time All-Star has shot just 35.7% from the field and an unfathomable 25.0% from behind the arc.
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Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic is considered one of the game's elite European players. The Atlanta Hawks guard has achieved no where close to the same highs as Curry at the NBA level, but has plenty of success from his time in Europe.
Prior to joining the Sacramento Kings in 2017, Bogdanovic thrived in Europe with Partizan in Serbia and later with Turkey's Fenerbahce. He won a EuroLeague championship in 2017 and two Turkish Super League Championships.
Similar to Curry, Bogdan Bogdanovic had a slow start to the competition with just 14 points in his team's opener versus the USA. Over his last three games, however, he is averaging 20 points per game and was instrumental in Serbia's comeback win over Australia in the quarterfinals.
Bogdan Bogdanovic's Serbia will look to upset Steph Curry's USA in a rematch of the 2016 Olympic finals
Thursday's mouth-watering matchup will pit two of the tournament's favorites against each other for a place in the finals. Team USA goes into the game as favorites, but Serbia has enough talent on its roster to pull off a historic upset.
The semifinal matchup will be a repeat of the 2016 Olympics men's basketball final in Rio de Janeiro. Led by an incredible 30-point night from Kevin Durant, Team USA emerged victorious 96-66 on that occasion. Bogdanovic managed just seven points on 2/12 shooting that game.
Serbia and USA met up earlier in the group stage with both Steph Curry and Bogdan Bogdanovic underperforming in the opening encounter. Expect the two guard to play a bigger role in the upcoming semifinal matchup.