Inside The Celtics

'Another Jrue Holiday Masterpiece': Celtics Guards Discuss Team USA's Opening Olympic Win

Bobby Krivitsky

Jul 28, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States guard Derrick White (8) drives against Serbia point guard Vasilije Micic (22) in the second quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States guard Derrick White (8) drives against Serbia point guard Vasilije Micic (22) in the second quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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The United States men's basketball team opened pool play at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a dominant 110-84 win over Serbia. They outscored Nikola Jokic and Co. 52-35 in the second half on Sunday.

While Kevin Durant generated a game-high 23 points and LeBron James nearly registered a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, Team USA also got key contributions from the Celtics' backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

Holiday started alongside James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Joel Embiid. The former UCLA Bruin stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, the third-most for the U.S., four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, matching White and Booker for a team-high.

"That's just reaping the benefits of playing with Steph, who they're locking into, KD, LeBron, Anthony [Davis], Joel," Holiday said, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. "You have to guard them and I'm just kind of open in the corner … I was just playing my game, honestly. Make plays for other people and make plays for myself. Most of the time, make plays for other people by cutting, screening, things like that."

White labeled it, "another Jrue Holiday masterpiece."

The other half of Boston's backcourt chipped in two points, two thefts, an assist, and a block. He helped spark better ball movement and improved play on defense, reflected in his earning a plus-15 plus-minus rating.

"He's done that the whole year," expressed Holiday. "Last one here, but it feels like he fit in, like usual. The way that he plays is amazing."

It helps that the duo, who spent the year as elite role players, fitting in alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the Celtics' run to a championship, are teaming with mostly new personnel but their jobs remain the same as in Boston.

“It makes it easy for me and Jrue," White said. "We just try to go out there and do what we do and try to help us impact winning whenever we can. I know we've got a lot of talented guys on the team."

However, while Holiday and White made their presence felt on the court, Tatum spent the contest stuck on the bench.

"It's really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys," conveyed Team USA's head coach, Steve Kerr, after the victory. "With Kevin coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt made the most sense. It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I wanted to get to.

"Jayson is first-team All-NBA three years in a row. He's one of the best players in the world. I went with the combinations I felt would make sense, and I talked to him, and he was incredibly professional," adding, "That was for tonight. He handled it well. He'll make his mark."

"He's good," shared White post-game about the Celtics' star forward. "He's in good spirits. He's obviously a hell of a player, and we've got a lot of great guys on the team, so he'll be all right."

Up next for Team USA is a tilt against South Sudan, who nearly pulled off a monumental upset against them before pool play began. Their rematch is on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Further Reading

Steve Kerr Explains Benching Jayson Tatum in Team USA's Win vs. Serbia

Jayson Tatum Gets Candid about Relationship with Jaylen Brown

Summer League Struggles Offer Valuable Lessons to Jordan Walsh

D.J. MacLeay Shares How Baylor Scheierman Impressed Him in Celtics Win vs. Lakers

Jaylen Brown 'Wasn't Surprised' by Olympic Snub: 'All the Motivation in the World'

Celtics Rookie Anton Watson Shares Brad Stevens' Message to Him

Celtics' Coaching Staff Changes Match Theme of Boston's Offseason

Celtics Roster, Salary Cap Breakdown After Whirlwind Start to Free Agency

New Details about Plan to Sell Majority Stake in Celtics Revealed

Al Horford, Raising Cane's, and a Region that Loves Him

On Derrick White and the Fuel for Unprecedented Journey to NBA's Best Role Player

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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