U.S. men escape Serbia as Steph Curry takes over (2024)

PARIS — They needed the Avengers.

The U.S. men, whose NBA titles, MVP awards and Olympic golds precede them, didn’t wear masks or capes, but they stormed Bercy Arena in the fourth quarter Thursday to lift Team USA over Serbia 95-91. The win — sure to be an instant classic — puts the U.S. into the gold-medal game against host France.

Some of the greatest players of all time, and certainly the faces of a golden era in the NBA that is watching its sunset, overcame not just a 17-point deficit, but a Serbian team that Team USA coach Steve Kerr described as playing “perfect.”

Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid — four former NBA MVPs on the floor for the fourth quarter of a furious comeback that was needed to stave off a reordering of the basketball universe.

Not only is the U.S. chasing its fifth consecutive gold medal, but a team of 11 NBA All-Stars with the aforementioned names on the marquee could not lose in a semifinal without being labeled a failure.

Instead, those four men and the others who joined them at times on the court wearing the American white uniform delivered a performance that will be remembered for a long time.

“Serbia was brilliant today, and I am really humbled to have been a part of this game,” said a hoarse Kerr, in a massive scrum of media at the arena’s loading dock. “It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of.”

Curry scored 36 points — one shy of Carmelo Anthony’s U.S. Olympic record — including the go-ahead 3 with 2 minutes, 24 seconds left and two foul shots within 10 seconds that sealed the win. Curry’s point total was not only the most by any U.S. player this summer, but he eclipsed his total for his previous four Olympic games combined (28 points).

STEPHEN. CURRY. TEAM USA LEADS.#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC, USA Network and Peaco*ck pic.twitter.com/C4MUUl1v78

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024

James delivered a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He has the only two triple-doubles in U.S. Olympic history with the last coming 12 years ago in London. James tied Thursday’s game at 84 with a driving layup at 3:41, and it was his pass to Curry that assisted the go-ahead 3. James guarded reigning NBA MVP and Serbian superstar Nikola Jokić in the fourth quarter, which the Americans won 32-15.

Of course, Jokić has three MVPs and an NBA championship. Pause to consider the league royalty on the floor at one time — not all on the same American team — duking it out in a game that easily matched the intensity of a game late in an NBA Finals.

“I mean, I’m 39 years old going into my 22nd season. I don’t know how many opportunities and moments I’m going to get like this to be able to compete for something — compete for something big and playing in big games — and tonight was a big game,” James said.

Embiid played his best game with Team USA, scoring five of his 19 points in an electric fourth quarter in which he made Jokić work on the defensive end. He shot 8 of 11 from the field, added four rebounds in 27 minutes and delivered a monstrous, athletic-looking dunk in which he soared over a defender as the U.S. attempted to rally in the third quarter.

Durant is the Americans’ all-time leading scorer and he’s trying to become the first Olympic men’s player to win four golds. This was one of his worst games for Team USA, but seven of his nine points came in the fourth quarter. He was scoreless at halftime and didn’t get his first bucket until late in the third. But on defense, Durant was picking up full court as part of a relentless comeback.

The Serbians’ 17-point lead was in the second quarter. They were ahead by 15 with 32 seconds left in the third and hit 15 3s, played through Jokić and capitalized for three quarters on the wide-open shots he created for teammates.

Until the Avengers arrived.

😤😤😤 1 more!! pic.twitter.com/AUSTn9WDFk

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 8, 2024

“They’re a really good team and it’s hard to beat the team three times but to come back the way we did — I’ve seen a lot of Team USA basketball and that was special,” Curry said.

The United States will play France in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final from three years ago after the French stunned World Cup champion Germany73-69.

For Serbia, Jokić had 17 points and 11 assists and Bogdan Bogdanović added 20 points — throwing taunts at James and doing Anthony’s “3s to the dome” celebration with Anthony watching courtside. Aleksa Avramović scored most of his 15 points with four 3s in the first half.

The Americans blew out Serbia in two games earlier this summer, including at the start of the Olympics. It was almost like the Serbians sandbagged those games. Their actions were much faster and they used Jokić to dictate the pace of play more, which led to so many open 3s for teammates.

Serbia thrived in the first quarter despite Curry’s early onslaught. He opened the game by scoring 14 of the Americans’ first 15 points and drilled five 3s in the quarter, but the Serbians forced turnovers with their ball pressure and poked numerous holes in the Americans’ usually stout defense.

Serbia’s 31-23 lead at the end of the first quarter ballooned in the second. The Serbians connected on 10 3s in the first half while the Americans were caught in too many pick and rolls worrying about Jokić.

James’ and-1 on a vicious post move against Bogdanović made it 54-43 Serbia at halftime. James scored nine in the half, enough to pass Anthony (336 career points) for second place in U.S. men’s history in Olympic points. The Americans got as close as six points in the third, but a brutal, four-point play on a 3-pointer and foul shot by Marko Gudurić made it 76-61 Serbia with 32 seconds remaining in the third.

Olympic Legends.

🇺🇸 #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/KJOv9Y0Z2u

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 8, 2024

“They were perfect,” Kerr said. “They played a perfect game. Our coaches were saying Villanova-Georgetown (1985 NCAA title game won by Villanova) for all of our older readers and viewers out there.

“But they played the perfect game and they forced us to reach the highest level of competition that we could find. And our guys were incredible in that fourth quarter and they got it done.”

The game may have turned for good early in the fourth on what essentially became a 6-point play for the U.S. Trailing 78-67, Durant knocked down his only 3. Almost immediately, Jokić was whistled for a foul on Anthony Davis, and with the ball back and only one more second off the clock, Devin Booker banged in a 3.

“It was a big sequence for sure, and we needed it,” Kerr said.

Curry was shooting 5 of 20 on 3s at the Olympics before Thursday’s game. He was an afterthought on offense in the Americans’ previous three contests. There were myriad discussions about the other ways Curry was impacting the U.S. offense because he wasn’t scoring.

Earlier this week, Kerr went so far as to say that he wasn’t waiting for one of those “Curry games” where the game’s greatest shooter ignites because the Americans knew they needed to hang their hats on their defense. But there was no defending Serbia for three quarters. They needed Curry just to stay within shouting distance.

And then with all of those former MVPs on the court together, each of them cooking in his way, it was Curry who delivered two of the game’s biggest baskets.

“You live for those moments,” Curry said. “About two minutes into the game tonight you realize I’m getting looks. They’re playing a different type of defense on us and obviously, they were scoring like crazy. … I shot three times last game and I wasn’t looking to force it because that’s not what the game called for.

“So that’s the beauty of Team USA and FIBA and this whole experience. Every game has been somebody different and it’s going to be somebody different hopefully with everybody contributing on that side.”

Instead of hand-wringing and soul-searching for the Americans between now and the Los Angeles Olympics, they can focus on a rematch with France and another gold medal. The atmosphere for Saturday’s game will be unlike any a Team USA player has faced.

Playing for the gold medal, on the opposing team’s home court in the heart of Paris with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, a Parisian, on the floor. Fans will boo Embiid louder than they ever have because now it’s not just about him picking the U.S. over France for these Olympics.

It’s about playing for the gold with who got them there, against the American team of behemoths that faced and passed a test in the semifinals.

“I bet you all 12 of us could find one game where we went into a hostile environment,” Curry said. “LeBron coming into our place in 2016 (Game 7 of 2016 NBA Finals), whether it’s me, us (Golden State Warriors) going to Boston (Game 6 of 2022 NBA Finals).

“Wherever you aim it, somebody’s going to have a building that they went into and had to get a win and we’re all going to have to do it together against France on their own court.”

Perhaps with masks and capes this time.

Required reading

• United States vs. Serbia live updates: U.S. rallies from 17-point deficit to advance to Olympic basketball final
• France beats Germany to secure spot in gold-medal game, rematch with Team USA
• Steph, KD and U.S. men’s team savoring Olympics memories off the court: ‘I got to be a fan’

(Photo: Aris Messinis / AFP via Getty Images)

Joe Vardon is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, based in Cleveland. Follow Joe on Twitter @joevardon