USA moved one win away from claiming a fifth straight Olympic gold after completing a nail-biting 95-91 come-from-behind victory against Serbia in men’s basketball action of the Paris Games.
Steph Curry knocked in a game-high 36 points, 27 coming from three-point range, to help fuel a huge second-half rally after the Americans trailed by as many as 17 points, 42-25, in the knockout semifinal match.
Joel Embiid buried 19 points and LeBron James posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Bogdan Bogdanovic paced Serbia with 20 markers and reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 17 and dished out 11 assists.
USA will fight for the gold against France, which also pulled off a 73-69 thriller over Germany in their own semifinal duel.
The finale is set on Sunday, August 11, at 3:30 am, Manila time.
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Fourth quarter
- FINAL: USA advances to the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball gold-medal match after completing a thrilling 95-91 win over Serbia
- USA 95-91: Steph Curry calmly sinks two crucial freebies
- USA 93-91: Kevin Durant swishes the tough mid-range hit, Nikola Jokic answers with a deuce
- USA 91-89: Bogdan Bogdanovic sinks the bonus free throw
- USA 91-88: Bogdan Bogdanovic floater over Joel Embiid is good, plus the foul
- USA 91-86: Steph Curry steals and finishes in transition. Timeout Serbia with 1:41 left.
- USA 89-86: LeBron James attacks and scores on the break
- USA 87-86: Steph Curry gives USA the lead with a long bomb
- SERBIA 86-84: Filip Petrusev slams it home off the timeout
- 84-84: LeBron James ties the game with a strong left-hand finish. Timeout Serbia with 3:39 left.
- SERBIA 84-82: Joel Embiid makes it a two-point game with a turnaround jumper
- SERBIA 84-80: Joel Embiid completes a three-point play
- SERBIA 84-77: Nikola Jokic with an easy layup off a feed by Bogdan Bogdanovic
- SERBIA 82-77: Nikola Milutinov scores off a putback, Joel Embiid hits the short stab
- SERBIA 80-75: Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Durant exchange pull up jumpers
- SERBIA 78-73: Quick 6-0 run for USA as Devin Booker cans the wide-open three. Timeout Serbia with 7:17 left.
- SERBIA 78-70: Kevin Durant drains the three-pointer, plus the foul
- SERBIA 78-67: Nikola Jokic absorbs the contact and scores. He misses the bonus.
- SERBIA 76-67: 4-0 run for USA after a Steph Curry floater
- SERBIA 76-65: LeBron James rattles in his trademark fall-away jumper to start the final frame
Third quarter
- END OF 3Q: Serbia continues to torch USA from three-point land for a 76-63 lead
- SERBIA 76-63: Kevin Durant finally gets one to drop
- SERBIA 76-61: Marko Guduric completes a rare four-point play
- SERBIA 72-61: Marko Guduric goes perfect from the line
- SERBIA 70-61: Vasilije Micic sinks from deep
- SERBIA 67-61: Anthony Davis tips in Kevin Durant’s miss
- SERBIA 67-59: Vasilije Micic gets the tough short stab to fall
- SERBIA 65-59: Jrue Holiday cans the corner trey
- SERBIA 65-56: Steph Curry catch and shoot triple is good
- SERBIA 65-53: Ognjen Dobric gets open for a three
- SERBIA 62-53: Ognjen Dobric and Steph Curry exchange hits from three-point land
- SERBIA 59-50: Steph Curry drains a technical free throw
- SERBIA 59-49: Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid trade twos
- SERBIA 57-47: Bogdan Bogdanovic from way downtown
- SERBIA 54-47: LeBron James makes his first free throw, but misses the second one
- SERBIA 54-46: Good start to the second half for USA as Joel Embiid hits a three
Second quarter
- HALFTIME: Red-hot Serbia stays ahead of USA with a 54-43 advantage
- SERBIA 54-43: LeBron James hits the bonus free throw to complete the and-one
- SERBIA 54-42: Aleksa Avramovic and LeBron James trade buckets
- SERBIA 51-40: Aleksa Avramovic goes 1/2 from the line, Steph Curry hits his sixth triple
- SERBIA 50-37: Aleksa Avramovic buries a corner triple
- SERBIA 47-37: Joel Embiid soars high for a one-handed slam
- SERBIA 47-35: LeBron James fires a three-pointer off the timeout
- SERBIA 47-32: Bogdan Bogdanovic lights it up from long distance
- SERBIA 44-32: Filip Petrusev floats one in
- SERBIA 42-32: Joel Embiid lights it up from downtown
- SERBIA 42-29: LeBron James feeds Devin Booker for the layup, plus the foul. Timeout Serbia with 5:53 remaining in the second quarter.
- SERBIA 42-27: Joel Embiid with a much-needed jumper for USA
- SERBIA 42-25: Nikola Jokic completes the three-point play
- SERBIA 41-25: Nikola Jokic sidesteps for a layup, plus the foul
- SERBIA 39-25: Nikola Milutinov keeps Serbia’s run going with a hook shot. Timeout USA with 7:41 to play in the second quarter.
- SERBIA 37-25: Vasilije Micic banks in a triple
- SERBIA 34-25: Marko Guduric makes the defense pay as he connects on a three-pointer
- SERBIA 31-25: Anthony Edwards pulls up for a long two
First quarter
- END OF 1Q: Steph Curry makes it rain from beyond the arc in the first quarter, but Serbia enjoys a 31-23 lead over USA
- SERBIA 31-23: Bogdan Bogdanovic gets the teardrop to fall
- SERBIA 29-23: Filip Petrusev drills two charities
- SERBIA 27-23: Steph Curry steps back for his fifth long bomb
- SERBIA 27-20: Nikola Jokic with an easy layup in transition
- SERBIA 25-20: Anthony Davis goes 1/2 from the line anew
- SERBIA 25-19: Anthony Davis splits his free throws
- SERBIA 25-18: Nikola Jokic goes 2/2 from the line
- SERBIA 23-18: Raining threes in the first quarter as Aleksa Avramovic nails another one from deep
- SERBIA 20-18: Aleksa Avramovic lays it in, LeBron James gets on the board with a three
- SERBIA 18-15: Back-to-back hits by Bogdan Bogdanovic
- SERBIA 16-15: Bogdan Bogdanovic joins the three-ball party
- USA 15-13: Steph Curry still on fire as he fires another three-pointer
- SERBIA 13-12: The shootout continues as Aleksa Avramovic and Steph Curry trade triples
- SERBIA 10-9: Steph Curry sinks his second triple of the game
- SERBIA 10-6: Ognjen Dobric swishes from long range
- SERBIA 7-6: Devin Booker splits his foul shots
- SERBIA 7-5: Nikola Jokic slams it home
- 5-5: Steph Curry counters with a trey
- SERBIA 5-2: Filip Petrusev walks into a three-pointer
- 2-2: Bogdan Bogdanovic answers with his own mid-range hit
- USA 2-0: Steph Curry starts things off with a jumper
Starting lineups
- USA: Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Joel Embiid
- SERBIA: Aleksa Avramovic, Ognjen Dobric, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jokic, Filip Petrusev
Preview
Team USA’s road to a fifth straight Olympic gold is almost complete.
Standing just two wins away from the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball title, the mighty Americans look to reassert their mastery over Serbia as they slug it out in a knockout semifinal showdown on Thursday, August 8 (Friday, August 9, Manila time).
This highly anticipated semifinal match between USA and Serbia marks their second meeting in this year’s Olympics after going up against each other in their Group C opener last July 28, where the Americans cruised to a 110-84 victory.
However, don’t expect another walk in the park for USA, which recently obliterated Brazil in their quarterfinal duel, 122-87.
Like the Americans, the Serbians are enjoying a fiery three-game winning streak after completing a thrilling come-from-behind overtime win against Australia, 95-90, in the quarterfinals.
Look for three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to leave it all on the floor for Serbia as he tussles anew with his fellow NBA superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid, among others.
Meanwhile, expect another total team effort from the powerhouse Americans as they try to sustain their high-octane offense.
Game time is 3 am. – Rappler.com
