USA Basketball wins fifth straight gold medal with 98-87 win over France
Aug 10, 2024, 4:58 PM | Updated: Aug 20, 2024, 2:41 pm
Lebron James, No. 6 of Team USA, shoots the ball during a men's basketball semifinals match between Team USA and Team Serbia on day 13 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on Aug. 8, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
PARIS, France – USA Basketball won their fifth straight Gold Medal after defeating France 98-87 at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Saturday.
Stephen Curry led USA Basketball with 24 points, including eight three-pointers in the Gold Medal Game against France. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 15 points. LeBron James finished with 14 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds.
For France, reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama led the way with 26 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Guerschon Yabusele dropped 20 points, while former Jazzman Rudy Gobert had two points and three rebounds in 12 minutes on the floor.
New starting lineup
USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr changed the starting lineup, inserting Kevin Durant, along with LeBron James, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid.
The start of the game was all about exchanging punches. LeBron James threw down a dunk before Victor Wembanyama drilled a three-pointer. From that point, the lead kept exchanging hands. Victor Wembanyama scored seven of France’s first 11 points.
LeBron James attacked the paint and threw a behind-the-back pass in between two French defenders to find Devin Booker for an open layup. After getting small minutes in the last couple of games, former Jazzman Rudy Gobert checked into the game at the midway point of the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, the United States had a 20-15 lead over France. Devin Booker had seven points to lead Team USA, while Devin Booker added six points. Victor Wembanyama led France with seven points.
After both teams started the game hot offensively, both teams cooled off later in the first quarter. The United States shot 45 percent from the field and hit four threes. France shot 35 percent from the floor and went 1-for-10 from downtown.
France started the second quarter on a 10-4 run and had a 25-24 lead with 7:10 remaining in the first half, forcing Steve Kerr to call a timeout. The United States answered with a 12-6 run, forcing France to call a timeout with a 36-31 USA lead with 3:26 left in the opening half.
Halftime
At halftime, the United States held a 49-41 lead over France. Devin Booker had 13 to lead Team USA. LeBron James chipped in seven points, while Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Kevin Durant each scored six points.
For France, Guerschon Yabusele had 15 points, along with 13 points from Victory Wembanyama. Rudy Gobert added two points in nearly five minutes on the floor.
Early in the third quarter, USA Basketball put the clamps down on defense and was able to get things going on offense. Every time France would start to make a run, the United States would have an answer.
That was until the end of the third quarter when they pulled to within six before LeBron James hit a triple to put Team USA back up by nine. Nando De Colo stole the ball and scored a layup at the buzzer to end the third quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, USA Basketball had a 72-66 lead over France.
Devin Booker didn’t score in the third quarter but still had a team-high 13 points. Stephen Curry and LeBron James each scored 12 points. Kevin Durant added 10 points. For France, Victor Wembanyama dropped 20 points and six rebounds. Guerschon Yabusele chipped in 19 points.
In the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, Team USA kept France from getting closer than eight points until the host country went on a run due to bad passes by the Americans. Guerschon Yabusele put France to within five points with 3:24 remaining in the game after making a free throw.
Victor Wembanyama’s putback dunk cut the United States’ lead to two before Stephen Curry hit a clutch three-pointer. After the timeout, Stephen Curry hit htree more three-pointers to put the game away with the United States leading France 96-87 with 30 seconds left.
The United States finished Olympic play with a 6-0 record. If you count the showcase games they played in July, USA Basketball finished the summer with an 11-0 record.
