The U.S. team, which managed to save its place in Saturday’s gold medal game against France at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with a 95-91 comeback against Serbia on Thursday night, seemed to falter early in the fourth quarter.
It looked like Serbia was going to defeat arguably the most talented team that US basketball has ever assembled. The Serbs withstood the USA’s comeback in the third quarter and were able to improve again by double digits.
Then Kevin Durant and Devin Booker came to the rescue – and started the final run that saved the Americans from the ultimate embarrassment of playing for the bronze medal with all-time greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
The Phoenix Suns duo combined for eight points in 45 seconds to cut Serbia’s 11-point lead to five points, 80-75, with 6:33 left, giving Team USA renewed hope and energy.
Durant sank a 3-pointer first. Booker followed with a deep run and Durant completed the 8-2 run with a basket.
All of a sudden, Serbia no longer had the same bark as in the first half, when an angry Bogdan Bogdanovic imitated Carmelo Anthony’s famous three-point sign and glared at the three-time Olympic champion sitting on the sidelines.
The Serbs seemed to be wondering whether they still had enough strength to pull off the big upset after leading by as many as 17 points in the first half.
In turn, Team USA began to regain its strength and confidence through momentum. The bench was under pressure, energizing the players on the court, and the crowd cheered the Americans on.
Then Joel Embiid, Curry and James took over.
The trio scored the next 16 points for the US team, helping the Americans take a five-point lead at 91-86 with 1:41 minutes left.
Embiid scored seven of his 19 points and had one blocked shot during that 16-6 streak. Embiid has been criticized for his lack of impact in group play and his lack of form, but has played well over the last two games.
Curry scored five points, with his ninth three-pointer giving the U.S. team the final lead (87-86). He also made a turnover that gave him his second basket in transition, forcing Serbia to call a timeout with 1:41 left.
James had two assists, the second on Curry’s three-pointer, and four points on two layups. The ageless 39-year-old with the gray hair in his beard ran from end to end on the second layup, outrunning two Serbian defenders and finishing with a one-handed flip shot over his head.
Curry delivered an outstanding performance with 36 points, hitting 9 of 14 three-pointers. The US team would have had no chance of coming back without Curry’s 3-point burst in the first half (6 of 9 from distance).
Serbia found themselves under attack from the team that had given them a 26-point lead twice: in a friendly match and in a group match.
James recorded his second triple-double in an Olympic competition with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first person to record multiple triple-doubles at the Olympic Games.
And Embiid showed why the US team had chosen him as a player – to match arguably the best player in the world, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Embiid scored 19 points, Jokic 17.
These three deserve praise, but Durant and Booker were the first to make a comeback when everything seemed bleak and lost for the US team.
Yes, Durant failed to score on any shots in the first half after scoring 23 points against Serbia in his comeback from a calf injury, but he managed nine points in the second half.
His last basket gave the US team a 93-89 lead with 34 seconds left.
Durant waved everyone off and eyed Filip Petrusev at the top of the 3-point line.
He took Petrusev to the left, crossed him to the right, hit the Serb with a hesitation dribble, rose up and sank the pull-up.
This caused Anthony to clench his fist and freak out.
Booker scored just six points after his 18-point performance against Brazil, but finished the game with Durant, Curry, James and Embiid.
Booker has started every Olympic game for the U.S. team and posted the team’s second-highest plus/minus ratio at plus-16 on Thursday. He also prevented a Serbian defender from attacking Curry’s transition layup, giving the Americans a five-point lead late.
Curry finished with a plus-20.
Team USA could face an even greater challenge on Saturday in France.
The French not only have the 2.23 meter tall prodigy Victor Wembanyama, but also receive support from players such as Isaia Cordinier, Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort.
They are unknown in America, but at the Olympics they were world class.
Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert played a total of nine minutes in the quarterfinals and semifinals and scored no points.
If France can get something out of him on Saturday, that would be a bonus. The size of the US team with Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Embiid will likely lead to Gobert being used more.
France has already defeated two undefeated teams: Canada in the quarterfinals and Germany in the semifinals. This is a rematch of the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics, which was played in 2021.
Thanks to Durant’s 29 points, Team USA won 87-82.
James has emerged as the leader of the U.S. team. He and Curry are finally playing together and having fun while Embiid is responding to the boos of the French crowd with baskets.
Those three will have a say in Saturday’s outcome, but so will Durant and Booker.
The Suns duo certainly showed their full performance on Thursday, when the US team’s celebrated run to a fifth consecutive gold medal almost ended in complete embarrassment.
Have an opinion on the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Suns duo Kevin Durant and Devin Booker saved the USA from a major upset
