USA wins men's basketball Olympic gold: Highlights from win over France

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USA wins men's basketball Olympic gold: Highlights from win over France

Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sun, Aug 11, 2024 ·

12 min read

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Editor's note: Follow U.S. women's basketball vs. France live updates and highlights from the Olympics gold medal game.

PARIS – The global 5x5 men's basketball torch remains in the grasp of the Americans.

Perhaps the grip is loosening. But it still belongs to the U.S.

The U.S. and its loaded roster filled with MVPs, All-Stars and NBA champions proved that once again, defeating France 98-87 for the Olympic gold medal Saturday at Bercy Arena.

Sorry France and Victor Wembanyama. Sorry Serbia and Nikola Jokic. You too, Germany and Franz Wagner and Canada and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It's not your time for gold. Not yet. Maybe at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Maybe.

But not now.

"This has been an amazing experience, a beautiful experience and very lucky to coach these guys," U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. "We had a really wonderful group of guys. They were all very committed to winning and to each other and they didn't let anything get in the way of the gold medal."

In what amounted to an Olympic road game for the U.S. in front of partisan French crowd, the U.S. relied on its biggest stars and 3-point shooting. LeBron James continued his stellar Olympics play with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds; Steph Curry dropped 24 – all coming on eight made 3s; and Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 15 points.

The U.S. made 18-of-36 pointers, outscoring France 54-27 from that distance, and the U.S. owned a 31-9 edge in fastbreak points.

Team USA led for most of the game. France cut the deficit to two possessions a couple of times in the second half, including 82-79 with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter. A Curry 3 followed by two Durant free throws increased the U.S. edge to 87-79 with 2:22 to play.

Curry made four huge 3s in the final three minutes, including one that gave the U.S. a 96-87 lead with 35 seconds remaining.

It is the fifth consecutive gold medal for the U.S. in men's basketball. The team cruised through group play 3-0, handled Brazil in the quarterfinals, and needed a memorable comeback from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Serbia in the semifinals.

The U.S. led the tournament in points per game, field-goal percentage, 3-point shooting percentage and assists per game, and had the second-best field-goal percentage allowed. Its combination of depth, offense and defense overwhelmed opponents.

The U.S. pushed its Olympic record to 144-5 overall and is 36-1 since 2004.

Durant became the first U.S. men's basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals, James collected his third gold and first since last playing for Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics, and Curry won his first gold at his first Olympics.

"There's a reason these guys sign up for this," Kerr said. "This Olympics are special and all these guys play for two things. They play for NBA championships and Olympic golds. Those are the highest. Those are the pinnacles of success as Olympic player and in the NBA and America. ... it's bigger than and almost anything else that you can experience as a group. It's really special. You can't buy this feeling. You can't buy the experience of working with a group and achieving something special."

France earned its second consecutive silver in the Olympics.

Victor Wembanyama played his best game of the tournament, posting 26 points and seven rebounds. Guerschon Yabusele, who was instrumental on getting France to the final game, had 20 points.

Steph Curry goes off to ice Team USA's win

PARIS – The sequence was pure Steph Curry .

With France putting a small dent in the United States lead late in the fourth quarter of the men's basketball gold-medal game, Curry unleashed a flurry of 3-pointers that left France flustered and delivered the U.S. its fifth consecutive gold medal .

Curry scored a team-high 24 points – all coming on 3-pointers – and four of those 3s came in the game's final 2:47, each one bigger and more important than the previous one.

The coupe de grace came with 35 seconds remaining. Hounded by France's Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier launched a deep, high-arching 3-pointer that put the U.S. ahead 96-87.

Curry ran down the court with his hands to head in his trademark "good night" gesture.

Curry rediscovered his 3-point shot at the most opportune time for the U.S. He struggled with his shot in the first four games of the 2024 Paris Olympics – shooting 35.7% from the field and 25% on 3-pointers.

In his next two games, it was vintage Curry. He scored 36 points on 9-for-14 3-point shooting against Serbia in the semifinals, a game in which the U.S. came back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Against France, he was 8-for-12 on 3-pointers.

In the final two games of Curry's first Olympics, he scored 60 points and made 17-of-26 3-pointers.

See a recap of the gold medal game below the photo gallery.

USA leads France 87-79 as fourth quarter winds down in gold medal game

France had cut the U.S. lead to three points before Steph Curry hit a three and Kevin Durant hit two free throws to build the lead back to eight with a little more than two minutes to go.

USA leads France 72-66 after third quarter of gold medal game

PARIS – The U.S. opened its largest lead of the game at 61-47 in the third quarter but took just a 72-66 lead into the fourth quarter.

The U.S. is 10 minutes from winning its fifth consecutive gold medal in the Olympics.

The Americans are 12-for-26 on 3-pointers, and LeBron James continues to dominate with his all-around play. He has 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block, and Steph Curry has 12 points and five assists. Devin Booker has 13 points and Kevin Durant 10 for the U.S., which is shooting 52% from the field.

Victor Wembanyama leads France with 20 points and six rebounds, and teammate Guerschon Yabusele has 19 points. Evan Fournier gave France a lift in the third quarter with eight points, including six on two made 3-pointers. France is shooting 48% from the field but just 33% on 3s.

USA builds 14-point lead over France midway through third quarter

The U.S. has its biggest lead of the game at 61-47 with 6:57 left in the third quarter. Steph Curry has a pair of 3-pointers in the quarter, and Joel Embiid has made four free throws

Team USA leads France 49-41 at halftime of gold medal game

PARIS – LeBron James' driving buckets and U.S. 3-point shooting pushed the U.S. to a 49-41 halftime lead against France in the gold-medal game.

James has seven points, five rebounds and two assists, and the U.S. made nine 3-pointer in the first half. Devin Booker has a team-high 13 points, and Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards each have six points for the U.S.

The U.S. fell behind 25-24 but ended the half on a 25-16 run, and owned a 49-39 lead just before France's Guerschon Yabusele ended the half with a buzzer-beating layup. Yabusele has a game-high 15 points, and rising NBA star Victor Wembanyama is having his best offensive game of the Olympics with 13 points for France.

France, however, is 3-for-16 on 3-pointers and has been outscored 17-6 on fastbreak points

France goes on second-quarter run; USA calls time out

Paris — France is on an 8-0 run. Bilal Coulibaly's dunk on a fastbreak gave France a 25-24 lead with 7:10 left in the second quarter. U.S. coach Steve Kerr called timeout to settle the U.S. offense and get LeBron James, Steph Curry and Devin Booker back in the game.

Team USA leads France 20-15 after first quarter

PARIS — France's Victor Wembanyama is off to a strong start with seven points, including two on a soaring dunk, but the U.S. owns a 20-15 lead after the first quarter.

The U.S. is getting easy buckets in transition off missed shots by France. Devin Booker leads the U.S. with seven points, Anthony Edwards has six points on a pair of 3-pointers, and LeBron James has two points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

The U.S. is shooting 42% from the field and is 4-for-11 on 3-pointers, and France is shooting 35% from the field and is 1-for-9 on 3s.

Former basketball stars in the house for gold medal game

Paris — Tony Parker, Scottie Pippen, Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol among former NBA stars in attendance for the gold medal game between Team USA and France.

The U.S. men had a 17-14 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter. Devin Booker and Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 7 points apiece.

When does USA men's basketball play next at Paris Olympics?

Team USA will play France today, Saturday, Aug. 10, in the gold medal game.

What time is USA men's basketball vs. France?

Tip-off for USA vs. France is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch USA men's basketball vs. France

The men's basketball gold medal final can be viewed on Peacock, NBC and Telemundo.

There is an encore broadcast at midnight ET on USA Network.

USA men's basketball Olympics roster

* Each asterisk represents an Olympic appearance (includes 2024 Paris Olympics)

** Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
* Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
** Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
*Derrick White, Boston Celtics
** Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
** Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
* Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
** Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
**** Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
**** LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
* Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
* Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

Kevin Durant getting his first start at the 2024 Paris Olympics

U.S. coach Steve Kerr put Kevin Durant in the starting lineup for the gold medal game against France. It's Durant's first start at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He'll start alongside LeBron James, Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and Devin Booker. Durant missed the five U.S. exhibition games with a sore calf, and Kerr decided it was best to bring Durant off the bench to start the Olympics.

USA men's basketball starting lineup

Team USA's starting five against France in the gold medal game:

Stephen Curry
Devin Booker
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Joel Embiid

France men's basketball starting lineup

Team France's starting five against the USA in the gold medal game:

Victor Wembanyama
Guerschon Yabusele
Isaia Cordinier
Nic Batum
Frank Ntilikina

LeBron James sporting golden shoes for basketball final

LeBron James wasn't subtle for his sneaker selection for the final against France. He's wearing sparkling gold Nike basketball shoes.

LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama take court for pregame warmups

About an hour before tip-off, U.S. assistant coaches Erik Spoelstra, Ty Lue and Mark Few are working with U.S. players, including LeBron James, who was the first American on the court. Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo are also warming up.

Victor Wembanyama received a warm welcome from French fans he stepped onto the court for his pregame workout. Evan Fournier joined Wembanyama minutes later.

USA men's basketball vs. France predictions

Ever since France made changes to its starting lineup after the group stage of 5x5 men's basketball, it has played its best ball of the Olympics, beating Canada and Germany to reach the gold medal game against the U.S. Both teams are coming off emotional victories in the semifinals.

France coach Vincent Collet benched Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier and replaced them with Guerschon Yabusele and Isaia Cordinier. It worked. Fournier still gets regular minutes but Gobert's minutes have decreased, and France is guaranteed at least a silver medal.

Can it win gold? It will need to use its size and a defense anchored by 7-4 rising NBA star Victor Wembanyama and find enough against offense against the U.S. France, which lost to the U.S. in the gold medal game at the Olympics three years in Tokyo, will need to play a near-perfect game against a deep and talented U.S. team that will be ready for a road-game atmosphere at Paris' Bercy Arena.

Dan Wolken: USA 90, France 73
Jeff Zillgitt: USA 94, France 80

Who won Olympic men's basketball bronze medal

Aug. 6: Serbia 93, Germany 83

Serbia rebounded from a heartbreaking 95-91 loss to the U.S. in the semifinals and prevented Germany from earning its first Olympic medal in men's 5x5.

Serbia's three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds assists and 11 assists rebounds, and teammate Vasilije Micic scored 19 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 points for Serbia, which earned silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2023 FIBA World Cup.