Stephen Curry and LeBron James shine as part of an incredible comeback win as Team USA storms to beat Serbia, 95–91, in the Olympic semifinals at Paris to return to the team’s fifth consecutive gold medal game.
For Golden State sharpshooter Curry, it was his career night with 36 points, a new Olympic record of nine 3-pointers in a single match. His hot hand was noticeable very early, when he scored 14 of Team USA’s first 15 points for a first-quarter total of 17. The rest of the team put up an air ball, practically, falling behind at the half by 11.
Down the stretch, Serbia never lost the lead into the final 2 minutes, when seven quick points from Joel Embiid helped spark a comeback. Embiid added a big block to set up LeBron James for a game-tying drive. That cleared the floor for Curry to hit his ninth 3, and a layup from James put Team USA up by a decisive seven points.
Embiid had 19 points and four rebounds, and James finished with a triple-double: 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Along with Curry, they were the only Team USA players who scored in double figures.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led Serbia with 20 points, as Nikola Jokić contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for Serbia, which will meet Germany in the bronze medal game.
In the second semi-final, France got past Germany 73-69 to set up a gold medal rematch against Team USA on August 10, 2024.
