In the men’s basketball final on Saturday at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Team USA defeated France 98-87 to win their fifth consecutive Olympic gold, with Stephen Curry leading the way with 24 points.
Although it took an incredible comeback for Steve Kerr’s star-studded US team to defeat Nikola Jokic’s Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday, they were well-positioned to win the gold medal match on Saturday against the hosts thanks to a far stronger start.
Devin Booker’s outstanding play early in the half gave the USA a nine-point lead at the half. However, Guerschon Yabusele’s 15 first-half points, including a poster slam on LeBron James, kept France in the game.
During the first two quarters, France hit just 3-of-16 from field goal range, but in the third quarter, they turned it up, outscoring the USA 25-23 to give themselves hope of a comeback.
Encouraged by an enthusiastic audience at Bercy Arena, where Joel Embiid faced a lot of taunts for turning down the chance to play for France, the hosts gained greater advantage early in the fourth quarter, mainly through the efforts of Victor Wembanyama.
With less than three minutes left, the NBA Rookie of the Year pulled France to within three points with a game-high 26 points, his first 20-point performance at the Paris Games. He also added seven rebounds.
But Curry took over after that, calming the crowd with a magnificent 3-pointer that was his fifth of the game and added three more jumpers before the buzzer sounded.
The great player for the Golden State Warriors finished with 24 points and was 8 of 13 from 3-point range. On Thursday, he had scored an amazing 36 points against Serbia.
In the closing moments, a couple of free throws from Kevin Durant and a layup from Booker enabled the USA to maintain their advantage and win a record-tying 17th Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball.
In men’s basketball, France, on the other hand, had to make do with a third silver medal after losing as finalists in Sydney in 2000 and London 1948.
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