Everybody exhale.
The U.S. men’s basketball team had cruised through its first four games of the Paris Olympics, so overwhelming that it was unclear whether anyone would be able to test the Americans on their way to a fifth straight gold medal. But that test arrived in a big way in the semifinals on Thursday, and with its back to the wall, Team USA showed what it was made of: Trailing Serbia by as many as 15 in the third quarter, the U.S. rode a huge fourth quarter, a vintage game from Steph Curry and some late magic from LeBron James to a 95-91 win and a spot in the final on Saturday.
The U.S. outscored Serbia 32-15 in the final period, starting the quarter on a 21-8 run capped by a transition layup from James to tie the game. Curry followed with another 3 — his ninth of the game — to give Team USA its first lead since 15-13 midway through the first.
Curry poured in 36 points on 12-of-19 shooting and 9-of-14 from deep, turning back the clock a few years and authoring the signature Olympic moment that was just about the only thing his career was missing at this point. James finished with a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while Joel Embiid finally roared to life for 19 points and multiple big late buckets.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 20 points for Serbia, which got off to a scorching start from deep until cooling off late as the game swung.
The dramatic win sets up a blockbuster final against France, which outlasted Germany in an emotional win in the other semifinal on Friday. It also told us a bit about this U.S. team, which found another gear — physically and emotionally —with the game in the balance in the fourth. Now we know how it responds to taking a punch; that could come in handy again on Saturday, in front of what should be an electric crowd at Bercy Arena in Paris.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.