The five-peat is complete. Team USA men's basketball on Saturday topped France 98-87 in the gold medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics, sealing its fifth straight spot atop the podium in the event dating back to Beijing 2008. Les Bleus have never won gold, reaching the final four times (1948, 2000, 2021 and 2024) but losing to the U.S. every time. Team USA took a 20-15 lead through the first as
Devin Booker (198-SG-1996, college:
Kentucky) led the starters with seven points, capitalizing off smart off-ball movements.
Anthony Edwards (194-G-2001, college:
Georgia) added six off the bench with two 3-pointers, while Jayson Tatum also logged minutes after blanking in the semifinal against Serbia. Tatum almost immediately slammed home a breakaway jam. The intensity increased in the second quarter, but the U.S. took a double-digit lead toward the end. It ended 49-41 in favor of the U.S. at the half after France's
Guerschon Yabusele (202-PF-1995) hit a buzzer-beating layup over
Anthony Davis (208-C-1993, college:
Kentucky).
Devin Booker led the U.S. with 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, while
LeBron James (204-SF-1984) had seven points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block.
Stephen Curry (188-G-1988, college:
Davidson) and
Kevin Durant (209-PF-1988, college:
Texas) each hit two 3-pointers. Yabusele led France with 15 points after a dominant quarter, including an and-1 poster on James.
Victor Wembanyama (224-C/F-2004) added 13 points despite sitting for most of the second.
Evan Fournier (198-G/F-1992) went scoreless off the bench.
Joel Embiid (213-C/F-1994, college:
Kansas) did not play in the second after starting the game, with
Bam Adebayo (207-C-1997, college:
Kentucky) seeing the majority of minutes at the 5. The U.S. took a 61-47 lead during the third quarter, but France did not let things worsen from there. Instead, France cut it to single digits and trailed 72-66 entering the fourth.
Nando De Colo (196-G-1987) took advantage of a sloppy pass, which led to a
Kevin Durant goaltend at the buzzer.
Devin Booker still led the U.S. in scoring with 13, while James and Curry got up to 12. Durant added 10. Fournier also came alive for France after his scoreless first half, dropping eight points off the bench. Wembanyama led Les Bleus with 20 points. Les Bleus kept it close in the fourth quarter and even cut the deficit to three until Curry called his shot. Curry, seeking his first Olympic gold, drilled four straight triples, including a ridiculous heave, to close the door shut on a potential France comeback. The Golden State Warriors star led the U.S. with 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting overall. All of those attempts were from long range, except for one. Durant and Booker each added 15 points, while James finished with 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. The 35-year-old Durant became the first player to win four gold medals in U.S. men's basketball history, as well as scoring the most points in USA Olympic history, which he achieved during the Paris run. Wembanyama gave a valiant effort with 26 points on 11 of 19 shooting and seven rebounds, while Yabusele cooled off in the second half but still finished with 20 points. The key difference lied in the 3-point shooting variance. The U.S. nailed 18 of 36 (50%), mainly thanks to Curry, while France mustered just 30% on 9 of 30 conversions. France also lost points at the foul line, makign just 10 of 17 (58.8%) while the U.S. converted all eight. Team USA will now seek a sixth straight gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, though the team may look entirely different in the post-James-Curry-Durant era.
Courtesy of: nbcnewyork.com
