The United States men’s basketball team won its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal after beating France 98-87 in Saturday’s gold medal game.
The host nation, led by rising star and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, played an impressive tournament, cutting the U.S. lead to just three players late in the game, but LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry proved too strong.
Curry, who finished the game with a team-high 24 points, came into his own in the closing stages of the game when he made four three-pointers starting at the 2:48 mark to lead the Americans to victory.
His final stab in the back came during a broken play with 35 seconds left, when he threw a three pointer over the arms of Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum, bringing the US lead back to nine.
There was no way back for France and Curry knew that when he delivered his famous “night-night celebration” with the final half-minute not changing anything decisively for the US.
Stephen Curry led the US with 24 points – half of which came after 2:48 in the fourth quarter
LeBron James was named MVP of the men’s basketball tournament for his play in France
The US men’s basketball team has now won gold at the Olympics five times in a row
James, who was later named the men’s basketball league’s MVP, finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds and nine assists, while Kevin Durant and Devin Booker both scored 15 points and became the eventual winners.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play basketball at a high level for a long time,” Curry told NBC’s Mike Tirico afterward. “… This is high on the list in terms of the excitement and the sense of relief that you feel when you finish.”
American head coach Steve Kerr, who also coaches Curry at the Golden State Warriors, added: “It’s a game that ranks with the best games of his career.
“The shot-making was just incredible. But under the circumstances, on the road, in Paris, against France for a gold medal, this is fairytale stuff. But that’s what Steph does. He loves being in fairytale books.”
Wembanyama impressed in the defeat with 26 points and seven rebounds, but his individual brilliance was not enough and he was visibly angry after the game, covering his face with a towel.
The US lead grew to 14 points early in the third period and appeared to be gone.
But the offense quickly cooled off and when Evan Fournier hit a three-pointer with 3:05 left in the quarter, the lead was down to 65-59, the home team going on a 12-4 run.
Victor Wembanyama was deeply disappointed to lose but was superb for France
Stephen Curry celebrated his ‘night night’ party after taking a stab at France
And with a chance to go up by double digits heading into the fourth, a big U.S. blunder gave France another jolt of momentum. Anthony Edwards and Durant got their signals crossed on a pass that led to a turnover, Nando De Colo scored to beat the buzzer and the U.S. lead was only 72-66 going into the final 10 minutes.
But from that point on, Curry and the heavy favorites for the Olympics did enough to avoid the ignominy of a loss in the final.
“I think we’re probably the only team in the world whose fans are embarrassed for them when they win a silver medal,” Kerr said afterwards. “That’s the pressure we’re under.
“But our players, and you saw Steph, they like the pressure. They appreciate this atmosphere and they were fantastic.”
The win makes Durant the first four-time men’s gold medalist in Olympic basketball history, while James now has three medals and Curry wins his first gold medal.
“It’s special,” Curry said. “Two years ago, when we [the Golden State Warriors] won our last championship, I knew this was coming. Every mission you go into, you give it everything you’ve got.’
