In a thrilling semifinal, Steph Curry led the U.S. basketball team to a stunning 95-91 comeback victory over Serbia to secure a spot in the Gold Medal Game. Curry delivered a standout performance with 36 points and nine 3-pointers, sparking a fourth-quarter comeback that helped the U.S. overcome a 17-point deficit. The United States defeated Serbia 32-15 in the final quarter to secure a revenge match against France in the Gold Medal Game reminiscent of their clash at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Faced with its first loss of the summer and a chance to compete for the bronze medal for the first time since 2004, the USA tightened up its defense. MVPs LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Curry led the charge and turned the game around. Serbia hit five three-pointers in each of the first three quarters and was 50% from beyond the arc entering the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, however, they were 0-9 from beyond the three-point line as the USA tightened up its defense.
They trailed by seven points with six minutes left, but Embiid went on a 7-2 run that included a shot block to keep the USA in the game. After Serbia missed a three-pointer, LeBron tied the score at 84-84 with 3:41 left. Curry’s ninth three-pointer put the USA ahead 87-86 with 2:24 left. Two consecutive layups by LeBron and Curry extended the lead to five. Despite a late push by the Serbians, Curry won the game at the free throw line. LeBron’s triple-double (16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) was the fourth in Olympic history, and he became the first player with multiple Olympic triple-doubles. The Serbs Nikola Jokic (17 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points) shone in the defeat.
36 POINTS 🔥
Stephen Curry’s three-pointer to take the lead in the 4th quarter completed the USA’s 17-point comeback!
pic.twitter.com/AXw11LvUQn— NBA (@NBA) 8 August 2024
“It was just a matter of time before he had one of those games,” James said of Curry. “We see it every day. He’s put in too much work not to have a game like that and we wouldn’t have it any other way. It was the perfect time for Chief to come out and do what he did.”
The gold medal ceremony is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
