As expected, the USA is inevitable.
Despite being down as much as 17 points, the USA gutted out a resilient 95-91 win over Serbia on Thursday to move onto the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics.
Heading into the fourth quarter down 13 points, the superstar-studded USA team went on a 21-8 run to open the frame and bring back a game that looked lost. But when a team employing the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant takes the court, the word loss might not be in its vocabulary.
The three above players — who have inarguably defined the game of basketball over the last decade — were the decisive factors in the closing minutes of an incredible game.
Curry finished with a vintage game-high 36 points on 12-of-19 from the field and 9-of-14 from three-point range, James notched a timeless 16-point, 12-rebound, 10-assists triple-double, while Durant scored seven of his nine points on clutch makes in the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid also had his best game in a USA uniform, scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 from the field.
His nemesis, Nikola Jokic, was the catalyst for the Serbians and a big reason as to why they were up for so long. The three-time NBA MVP finished with 17 points, five rebounds and 11 assists.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points and Aleksa Avramovic had 15.
Serbia — and those two shooters in particular — was ridiculously hot right out of the gate, firing on all cylinders to build up an 11-point lead at the half. They shot 50 per cent from long-range in the opening 20 minutes and answered everything Curry threw their way.
But it wasn’t enough, not against a team rife with legacy and a chance at a five-peat at gold on the line.
A huge Curry three-pointer with 2:24 left gave the Americans the lead for the first time since the 6:02 mark in the first, and from there, they closed it out perfectly with fastbreak layups from James and Curry to seal the deal.
While the Americans went on a run, Serbia’s luck finally ran out as the team cooled off from deep, going zero for nine from three-point range in the final frame.
Overall, the USA won the fourth quarter 32-15, saving its offensive outburst for when it mattered most.
The USA will now head to its fifth-straight Olympic final with a chance to five-peat for gold against host nation France.
Serbia, meanwhile, heads to the third-place game for a rematch of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Final against Germany.
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FRANCE 73, GERMANY 69
PARIS — Guerschon Yabusele scored 17 points and France beat Germany 73-69 in front of a raucous crowd to advance to the men’s Olympic basketball gold medal game.
Isaia Cordinier added 16 points and Victor Wembanyama finished with 11 points and seven rebounds to help France – which won the silver medal in Toyko three years ago – reach its second straight Olympic final.
The victory sent the crowd into a frenzy as France celebrated. After a postgame handshake with their German opponents, the entire team ran to the baseline and saluted the crowd — which seemed to get louder to acknowledge the tribute.
The Summer Games host nation will play the winner of Serbia and the U.S. on Saturday.
Dennis Schroder led Germany with 18 points. Franz Wagner added 10 points and eight rebounds.
This ends the incredible run the Germans have been on over the last two years. Dating back to winning last year’s World Cup they had won 12 consecutive games in major international competition.
With French and German basketball icons Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki sitting side-by-side at courtside, France outscored Germany 38-25 in the second and third quarters to take a 56-50 advantage into the fourth.
But Germany didn’t go quietly.
It closed within 69-65 on a layup by Schroder with under a minute to play. Following a free throw by Frank Ntilikina, Germany cut the deficit to 70-68 on a deep 3-pointer by Wagner.
France dribbled the shot clock down, but Nicolas Batum came up empty on a 3-point attempt. Wagner got the rebound but tumbled out of bounds as he tried to turn and dribble up the court. It forced Germany to foul.
Wembanyama missed his ensuing first free throw, then calmly dropped in the second to take a three-point lead with 10 seconds remaining.
France opted to foul and sent Schroder to the line. He also connected only 1 of 2, leaving France up by two. Cordinier was fouled and hit both free throws to seal the game.
France stayed with the same modified starting lineup it deployed during its quarterfinal win over Canada, opening the game with Wembanyama, Yabusele, Cordinier, Nicolas Batum and Ntilikina. Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert began the game on the bench for the second straight game.
It didn’t yield the same initial success this around, as Germany took a 12-2 lead.
It forced France coach Vincent Collet to change things up less than four minutes in, inserting Fournier and later Mathias Lessort to help settle things down. They did, and France got back within seven points heading into the second quarter.
France kept that momentum going, outscoring Germany 15-8 over the next 10 minutes to send the game to halftime tied at 33.
The flurry included a two-handed, poster-ready dunk by Wembanyama over Daniel Theis that brought French fans to their feet.
— From the Associated Press