PARIS: The United States won their fifth straight Olympic men’s basketball crown on Saturday, holding off a battling France 98-87 to take their tally of Olympic golds to 17.
In a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, LeBron James and the US team stacked with NBA stars once again proved too much for France, despite the efforts of sensational NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
France sliced a 14-point deficit to three with 3min 04sec to play on Wembanyama’s put-back dunk, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry drilled a three-pointer — one of four from him with less than three minutes remaining — and the United States relentlessly powered to the finish.
Stephen Curry celebrates with the US flag. (REUTERS)
Curry finished with eight three-pointers — including a rainbow over a leaping Wembanyama — and led the US scoring with 24 points.
“You just simply marvel,” James said of Curry. “Having him on your side, you just try to get stops and figure out other ways on the other end but keep finding him, keep getting him the ball.”
Curry said of his late-game heroics: “I was just trying to settle us down.”
“All we wanted to do was get a good shot,” Curry said. “It had been a while since we had a good possession.
“(Finally) the momentum was on our side. At that point, your mind goes blank. You don’t really care about setting or the scenario or anything. It’s just a shot.”
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker added 15 points apiece and James scored 14 with six rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and a block.
For Durant it was a US men’s record fourth Olympic gold. James earned his third and Curry, a four-time NBA champion, claimed his first in his first Olympic appearance.
“There’s a lot of relief,” Curry said. “It wasn’t easy but, damn, I’m excited, man. This is everything that I wanted it to be and more, so I’m excited.”
Wembanyama had his best offensive game of the Olympics, scoring 26 points. Guerschon Yabusele added 20.
France connected on just nine of 30 three-point attempts and the United States held a 31-9 advantage in fast-break points.
Both teams were locked in defensively in a tense first half that featured 10 lead changes.
Wembanyama soared for a dunk that gave France an 11-10 lead and sent the Bercy Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Victor Wembanyama of France in action. (REUTERS)
The Americans were soon back in front when Booker made a layup off a behind-the-back pass from James and a steal from James set Jayson Tatum loose for a dunk.
Down by five after one quarter, France took a 25-24 lead on a Bilal Coulibaly dunk, but the US continued to capitalize in transition off of France’s misses.
James drove through traffic for a layup, drawing a foul and flexing at the US bench before making the free throw to put the United States up 37-31, and they led 49-41 at halftime.
The dream final drew a raft of luminaries. French President Emmanuel Macron was in the house and so was sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, a day after she anchored the US 4x100m relay to gold.
James signalled his intentions early, taking the court in golden shoes and opening the scoring with a dunk.
Curry, who scored 36 points in the come-from-behind semifinal victory over Serbia, heated up in the second half, giving the US their biggest lead of the game, 61-47, with a three-pointer early in the third.
France kept pressing and were only six down heading into the fourth quarter, but finally had to watch the US players celebrate at the end, draped in flags.
A downcast Wembanyama could only hug his teammates, but with the silver medal around his neck he called the experience “incredible” and said he’d try to return the favor at Los Angeles in 2028.
“I will be going for gold in four years’ time,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, Serbia won bronze with a dominant 93-83 victory over World Cup champions Germany.
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic posted a triple double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Serbia, who lost 95-91 to the United States in the semifinals.
