Team USA overcame a 17-point deficit against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia in Thursday's Olympic semifinal to win 95-91 and advance to the gold medal game against France. The Americans trailed by 13 heading into the final round.
Stephen Curry scored 36 points, one shy of the American Olympic men's basketball record held by Carmelo Anthony.
After defeating Serbia twice in the last three weeks – once in a friendly and in a group game at the Summer Games – Team USA needs to come back as strong as possible in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory.
Serbia led for more than 35 minutes of the 40-minute match. However, Team USA won the final quarter, outscoring the Serbians 32-15 to come back and take the lead for good with Stephen Curry's 3-pointer with 2:24 left.
Curry put together his best performance with Team USA, scoring a career-high 36 points – one American Olympic men's basketball record held by Carmelo Anthony and the most for a US player in an elimination game, according to ESPN Stats & Information .
HOLD DOWN THE STRETCH.
Relive the INCREDIBLE team USA take on Serbia to advance to the gold medal game! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/tBDMxWWOXZ
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“This is the most fun I've had in a long time.”
Stephen Curry reflects on the return of Team USA after his amazing performance. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/T0E6GL6LL9
– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024
“I'm really excited to be a part of this game,” said Team USA coach Steve Kerr. “It's one of the greatest basketball games I've ever been a part of. They were perfect.
“They played a perfect game, they forced us to reach the highest level of competition that we could get. Our guys were amazing in that fourth quarter, and they did it. I'm proud of the team.”
LeBron James marked his second Olympic triple
Curry scored more points against Serbia on Thursday than he did in his first four games combined (29). The Americans used a 24-8 run to lead 91-86 with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter.
Team USA needs help from starters and reserves, including an MVP performance from LeBron James, to step up and face host France for the gold medal on Saturday. This will be a repeat of the 2021 Tokyo Games tournament.
LECAPTAIN AMERICA!
Team USA extends its lead over Serbia. #ParisOlympics
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“We knew it was going to be tough,” said James, who had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in 32 minutes of action. “We knew Serbia would give us everything they had.”
James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30, recorded his second Olympic double-double. The four-time NBA champion is the first men's basketball player to achieve a triple-double at the Olympics.
Team USA is aiming for its fifth straight Olympic gold
Still, it was still a team effort by a star-studded team led by the red-hot Curry.
“It was just a matter of time before he had one of those games,” James said of Curry. “We saw it every day. He works hard not to have a game like this. We wouldn't want it any other way. … It was the perfect time for Chef to come out and do what he did.”
Joel Embiid also added 19 points, while Kevin Durant finished with nine points. That's right, Jokic from Serbia had 17 points and 11 assists, Bogdan Bogdanovic also got 20.
Team USA will now go for its fifth straight Olympic gold on Saturday.
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