The U.S. men's basketball team has been as-advertised so far at the Paris Olympics, cracking 100 points in each of its first two wins over Serbia and South Sudan. Now comes the final game of group play vs. Puerto Rico, with a chance to clinch the top overall spot in the bracket.
Here's everything to know as Team USA gets set to take the court again on Saturday, Aug. 3.
U.S. vs. Puerto Rico preview: How to watch, start time, lineups and everything else to know
Who does the U.S. men's basketball team play next at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
To finish up Group C, Team USA is set to take on Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has dropped its first two games against South Sudan and Serbia, but it does boast an NBA guard in Jose Alvarado who's shown the ability to explode on the international stage.
What time does the U.S. men's basketball team play at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Tipoff of Puerto Rico vs. USA is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, at 11:15 a.m. ET.
How do I watch the U.S. men's basketball team on TV at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Live and tape-delayed coverage of the U.S. men's basketball team will be shown on NBC.
The full TV listings for basketball can be found on the NBCOlympics.com schedule page by clicking the toggle at the top to “TV Only.”
How do I stream the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The complete basketball schedule, including TV listings, is also available on the NBC Olympics schedule page.
All live streams are also available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Olympics apps.
| DATE/TIME | EVENT | STREAM |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, 8/3 11:15a-1p |
Men's Group C: Puerto Rico vs. USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 8/6 5-7a |
Men's Quarterfinal 1 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 8/6 8:30-10:30a |
Men's Quarterfinal 2 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 8/6 12-2p |
Men's Quarterfinal 3 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 8/6 3:30-5:30p |
Men's Quarterfinal 4 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Thu, 8/8 11:30a-1:30p |
Men's Semifinal 1 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Thu, 8/8 3-5p |
Men's Semifinal 2 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sat, 8/10 5-7a |
Men's Bronze Final 🏅 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sat, 8/10 11:30a-1:30p |
Men's Gold Final 🏅 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
What is the U.S. men's basketball team's projected starting lineup vs. Puerto Rico?
This remains the million-dollar question. Team USA's star-studded roster gives Kerr a ton of options to play with, and he's been content to mix and match so far in Paris. In the opener against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, Kerr opted for size, starting Joel Embiid at center and sitting Jayson Tatum entirely. Against South Sudan's smaller, faster lineup, however, Kerr flipped the script, sitting Embiid throughout and starting Tatum alongside Steph Curry, LeBron James, Devin Booker and Anthony Davis.
Curry, James and Booker have been the only constants all summer, and figure to be starting once again on Saturday. How Kerr chooses to sort through his depth at center and on the wing, however, is anyone's guess.
Who coaches the U.S. men's basketball team?
The men's team has been led by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr since 2022.
| Name | Role | Team/Role |
| Steve Kerr | Head coach | Golden State Warriors head coach |
| Tyronn Lue | Assistant coach | Los Angeles Clippers head coach |
| Erik Spoelstra | Assistant coach | Miami Heat head coach |
| Mark Few | Assistant coach | Gonzaga head coach |
What is the U.S. men's basketball team's head-to-head record vs. Puerto Rico?
The U.S. and Puerto Rico have met six times in Olympic competition. Team USA took each of the first five matchups, including the Dream Team in 1992. But the teams' most recent matchup, in Athens in 2004, was one of the more memorable upsets in Olympic history, as guard Carlos Arroyo led Puerto Rico to a shocking 18-point win over the U.S. in group play.
A refresher on how elimination works in Olympic basketball
Let's quickly break down the group phase and knockout rounds. More info available in Basketball 101: Competition Format.
Group phase
Each team will play the other three teams in its group and will earn two points for a win, one point for a loss, and zero points for a loss by forfeit.
At the end of the group phase, the top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Additionally, the two best third-place teams will also move on to the quarterfinals. All other teams are eliminated from the competition.
In the event of a tie in the standings between two teams in the same group, head-to-head results will be used as the tiebreaker. In the event of a tie between three or more teams, there is a list of further criteria that will be used to break the tie, starting with the highest point differential in games between the tied teams.
Knockout rounds
The knockout rounds begin with eight teams in the quarterfinals. A random draw will determine the matchups for the quarterfinals, with two important caveats:
- The two highest-ranked teams will be placed in the same pot and therefore end up on opposite sides of the bracket.
- Teams from the same group can't be drawn against each other in the quarterfinals.
From there, the tournament follows a standard single-elimination format. In the quarterfinal round, the winners advance to the semifinals and the losers are eliminated. In the semifinal round, the winners advance to the gold medal game and the losers go on to play in the bronze medal game.