In a thrilling semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the US men’s basketball team rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat Serbia 95-91, securing their place in the gold medal game. The comeback, led by Stephen Curry’s near-record 36 points, showcased the resilience and star power of the American squad.
Trailing by 11 points with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the US team ignited a remarkable turnaround. A pivotal sequence saw the Americans score six points in two seconds, with Kevin Durant hitting a 3-pointer while Anthony Davis was fouled, followed by another 3-pointer from Devin Booker off the inbounds play. This spark reduced Serbia’s lead from 78-67 to 78-73, setting the stage for Curry’s heroics.
Curry’s performance was one for the ages, falling just one point shy of Carmelo Anthony’s Olympic record of 37 points set in 2012. His go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:16 left put the US ahead for good, capping a night where the Americans led for only 3 minutes and 25 seconds of the entire game.
LeBron James contributed significantly with the fourth triple-double in Olympic men’s basketball history, posting 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Joel Embiid added 19 points on efficient 8-for-11 shooting, proving crucial in the victory.
For Serbia, Bogdan Bogdanovic led the scoring with 20 points, supported by Nikola Jokic’s 17 and Aleksa Avramovic’s 15. Despite their strong performance and control for most of the game, Serbia couldn’t withstand the late American surge.
US coach Steve Kerr likened the game to the classic Villanova-Georgetown matchup, praising Serbia’s near-perfect execution and his team’s fourth-quarter resilience. The victory keeps alive Kevin Durant’s hopes of becoming the first four-time Olympic men’s gold medalist.
The win sets up a gold medal rematch with host nation France on Saturday, a repeat of the Tokyo 2020 final where the US prevailed 87-82. Serbia will face Germany for the bronze medal earlier the same day.
This semifinal victory, with its four-point margin, stands as the second closest in US Olympic semifinal history, surpassed only by a two-point win over Lithuania in 2000. It also improves the US men’s Olympic basketball record to an impressive 144-6 all-time, and 63-4 since NBA players were introduced to the Games in 1992.
