PARIS — Steph Curry’s late-game heroics and a lightning-fast American transition assault denied France its storybook basketball ending Saturday evening.
The US persistently cashed in French turnovers and misses into fast-break factors, and Curry scored a team-high 24 factors in a 98-87 American win within the males’s basketball gold medal recreation.
It was the fifth straight Olympic title for the People.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 15 factors and LeBron James added 14 for the victorious People. The devastating U.S. fast-break assault proved to be the distinction as America held a 31-9 edge in transition factors.
France had closed to inside 82-79 late within the fourth when Curry took cost, hitting 4 3-pointers within the ultimate three minutes as America pulled away to victory.
Curry gave the Bercy Area followers his “evening, evening” taunt after the ultimate dagger jumper.
“I’ve been blessed,” Curry, a first-time Olympian, informed NBC shortly after the sport. “This ranks very excessive when it comes to the thrill and the sense of aid in attending to the end line.”
The NBA’s all-time main 3-point shooter stated he did not hesitate taking these late jumpers.
“I knew if I bought to my spot … I might knock it down,” he stated.
U.S. boss Steve Kerr, whose 9-to-5 gig is as Curry’s Golden State coach, known as Saturday’s recreation one of many sharpshooter’s most interesting hours.
“It’s proper up there with all the best video games of his profession,” Kerr stated of his star participant, who has led Golden State to 4 NBA titles.
“The shot-making was simply unimaginable,” Kerr stated. “However beneath the circumstances, you realize, on the highway, in Paris, in opposition to France for a gold medal. That is storybook stuff, however that’s what Steph does. He likes to be in storybooks.”
The U.S. victory additionally elevated Curry to a choose membership. He is now amongst 9 gamers who can boast of getting a NBA championship ring, common season MVP honor, finals MVP award and an Olympic gold medal.
That group contains Curry, his Staff USA colleagues James and Durant and Michael Jordan, Larry Fowl, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal.
Even when the USA comes into any worldwide match with probably the most uncooked expertise, profitable is not a given.
“If you coach, you simply attempt to assist them alongside, however now we have probably the most unimaginable group of gamers. They had been all so unselfish all through this complete factor via all of the noise, all of the stress,” Kerr stated.
“I believe we could be the one workforce on this planet whose followers are ashamed of them in the event that they get a silver medal, you realize, and that’s the stress that we face,” he stated. “However our gamers — and also you noticed Steph — they love the stress. They admire this environment, and so they had been implausible.”
NBA Rookie of the 12 months and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama paced France with a game-high 26 factors.
The French crowd, crying “allez les bleus” all through the sport, warmly cheered Wembanyama as he left the ground.
A overwhelming majority of followers at Bercy Area stayed for the medal ceremony to applaud the French workforce another time. After French gamers obtained their silver medals, followers broke into an impromptu signing of “La Marseillaise,” the nationwide anthem.
Earlier within the day within the bronze medal recreation, Nikola Jokic’s triple double helped Serbia defeat Germany 93-83. Jokic had 19 factors, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as Serbia shook off its heartbreaking semifinal loss to the United States.
Susan Baek
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Claire Cardona
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