Steph Curry recovered from a sluggish start to hit eight of 13 shots from the three-point line as the USA Men’s Basketball Team defied a packed Bercy Arena full of home fans to win the Olympic gold medal match on Saturday.
Victor Wembanyama started on fire for France compared to Curry, who was guilty of two turnovers within a minute of the opening quarter, as the French looked to match the overwhelming favourites for intensity.
While the Americans took the first quarter 20-15, France kept the score within reach, even going 25-24 up with just over seven minutes of the second quarter left.
The Americans started to cook, with Curry getting in his groove and making three-point shots while Bam Adebayo imposed his presence off the bench to see the USA go into the half-time break with a 49-41 lead.
At this point of the game, the USA was 45% from the three-point line compared to France’s 19%. Joel Embiid continued where Adebayo left off in the third quarter despite being the target of boos from the crowd of a country he was eligible to represent before choosing the Stars and Stripes.
Wembanyama’s efforts and home-court advantage did very little to stop the USA from opening a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter as Embiid and Curry hit their strides.
France did find some momentum, closing the quarter just six points behind and setting up a frenetic final quarter, which proved to be a battle as both teams slugged it out with the gold medal now in sight.
Curry hit a three right before Kevin Durant made two free throws with just over two minutes left to play. France called a time-out, returned, but still had no answer for Curry, who made two more three-pointers to keep the US at least two possessions ahead as the clock ticked down.
The Golden State Warriors star hit the dagger 16 seconds to the end when he made another three-point shot despite being double-teamed to effectively end the French resistance and seal the 98-87 win for the US.
Curry finished a memorable night with 24 points and five assists to top the points charts for the US. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker followed with 15 points each, while LeBron James pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists.
NBA Rookie of the Year VIctor Wembanyama’s game-high 26 points proved admirable but futile in the end, while Yabusele also put up a commendable display to finish with 20 points for the French.
The win ensured Coach Steve Kerr’s team won a fifth straight gold medal in this event for the US. France, aiming to be the first host nation to win gold since the US in 1996, settled for the consolation of a silver medal.