PARIS: The United States won its fifth consecutive men's basketball crown on Saturday, holding off France, 98-87, to take its tally to 17 Olympic golds.
In a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, LeBron James and the USA's star-studded NBA team once again proved too much for France despite the efforts of sensational NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
France cut a 14-point deficit to three with 3:04 to play on a layup by Wembanyama, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry made a three-pointer – one of four from him with less than three minutes remaining – and the United States. fueled relentlessly to the end.
Stephen Curry celebrates with the US flag. (REUTERS)
Curry finished with eight 3-pointers — including a rainbow over a leaping Wembanyama — and led the U.S. scoring with 24 points.
“You're just amazing,” James said of Curry. “With him on your side, you just try to stop and find 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 calm us down.”
“All we wanted to do was make a good shot,” Curry said. “It's been a while since we've had a good possession.
“(Finally) the momentum was on our side. At that moment, your mind goes blank. You don't really care about the setting or the script or anything. It's just a hit.”
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each added 15 points, and James scored 14 with six rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and a block.
It was the US men's fourth Olympic gold for Durant. James won his third and Curry, a four-time NBA champion, won his first in his first Olympic appearance.
“It's a lot of relief,” Curry said. “It wasn't easy, but damn, I'm excited, man. This is everything 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 edge in fast-break points.
Both teams were defensively locked in a tense first half that featured 10 lead changes.
Wembanyama rose for a dunk that gave France an 11-10 lead and sent the Bercy Arena crowd into a frenzy.
France's Victor Wembanyama in action. (REUTERS)
The Americans soon went back in front when Booker made a layup off a James backhand pass and a James steal left Jayson Tatum open for a dunk.
Down by five after one quarter, France took a 25-24 lead on a Bilal Coulibaly layup, but the U.S. continued to capitalize in transition on France's layups.
James drove through traffic for a layup, drew a foul and flexed to the USA bench before making the free throw to put the United States up 37-31, and they led 49-41 at halftime.
The dream finale attracted a lot of lights. French President Emmanuel Macron was in the house, as was sprint star Sha'Carri Richardson, a day after anchoring the US 4x100m relay to gold.
James signaled his intentions early by taking the court in gold shoes and opening the scoring with a dunk.
Curry, who scored 36 points in a come-from-behind semifinal win over Serbia, heated up in the second half, giving the USA its biggest lead of the game, 61-47, with a triple early in the third.
France continued to press and were only down six heading into the fourth quarter, but ultimately had to watch the American players celebrate at the end, clad in flags.
A dejected Wembanyama could only hug his teammates, but with the silver medal around his neck he called the experience “incredible” and said he would try to return the favor in Los Angeles in 2028.
“I'll be going for the gold in four years,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, Serbia claimed bronze with a dominant 93-83 victory over World Cup champions Germany.
NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Serbia, which lost 95-91 to the United States in the semifinals.
