Group USA had its most thrilling win of the Olympics on Thursday when it overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Serbia, 95-91, and advance to the gold medal recreation.
However Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was not part of the victory.
Tatum spent the whole thing of the semifinal contest on the bench with Group USA head coach Steve Kerr deciding to not play the four-time All-NBA choice. Tatum by no means even took off his warmup apparel in the course of the recreation.
Kerr adopted a well-known script with regard to Tatum with Group USA taking up a gifted Serbia facet led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Tatum additionally did not play within the Olympic opener when Group USA went up in opposition to Serbia.
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Tatum stated all the proper issues following the preliminary benching, however it’s unknown if his emotions are the identical given the magnitude of the sport.
“The competitor in you desires to play, clearly,” Tatum informed reporters after beating South Sudan final week, per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “However I am not right here to make a narrative or make it about myself. We received. I used to be glad to simply get again on the market and play once more as a result of there was quite a lot of chatter over the previous couple of days. However I used to be in good spirits. I had a superb perspective about it. It was high-quality. As a competitor, you wish to play, however I am not holding any grudges or something.”
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was the one different participant on Group USA who didn’t play, however that wasn’t uncommon.
Kerr determined to offer Tatum’s Celtics teammates in Jrue Vacation and Derrick White extra minutes than the five-time All-Star. Vacation began alongside LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker and Steph Curry and performed 20 minutes. Vacation totaled three factors and 7 assists. Derrick White performed seven minutes off the bench and missed the one two photographs he took.
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It is unclear if Tatum will likely be glued to the bench as soon as once more when Group USA look to seize gold in opposition to France on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
