Steph Curry and LeBron James produced fireworks as the USA claimed a fifth straight gold medal after beating hosts France in Paris.
Curry scored 24 points and led the way to a 98-87 win in the final, while Kevin Durant – the first four-time men’s gold medallist in Olympic basketball history – scored 15, as did Devin Booker.
And LeBron James, wearing metallic gold shoes that needed no explanation, scored 14 as he won his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.
Victor Wembanyama, in his first Olympic final, was outstanding for France, scoring 26 points, while Guerschon Yabusele banked 20.
The result was the same as three years ago in the Tokyo Olympic gold medal game but for the French this loss cut a little deeper coming on home hardwood in front of a captivated nation.
Los Angeles Lakers star James opened the scoring with a dunk and then set about helping his team-mates, with his no-look pass teeing up Booker.
France, who lost the Tokyo final to the United States 87-82 three years ago, were determined not to back down on their home court.
Through San Antonio Spurs’ Wembanyama, the 2023 No 1 NBA draft pick, and Real Madrid’s Yabusele, France kept the scores close for much of the first half and managed to get under the skin of Durant and Booker in a pair of confrontations.
But the United States began to ease clear in the second quarter as Golden State Warriors great Curry, whose 36 points led them past Nikola Jokic’s Serbia in a close semi-final, began to find his range from beyond the arc.
Another three-pointer from Jrue Holiday made it 49-41 just before the break, and early in the second half Curry gave the United States a 56-43 lead with a shot from the corner.
In front of the watching President Emmanuel Macron, France kept battling, closing the gap to 65-59 on Evan Fournier’s three-pointer late in the third quarter, only for James to respond in kind and take his own tally into double figures.
France refused to go away in a tense fourth quarter, and eight unanswered points cut the deficit to 82-79 on a basket from Wembanyama with less than three minutes on the clock.
But France had no answer as Curry sank three three-pointers inside the final two minutes to take the game away from them.
France will get another shot at hoops glory on Sunday but the women’s team will be even bigger underdogs against the mighty Americans who have not lost in the Olympics since 1992 and are chasing an eighth straight gold medal.
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Source : Sky Sports
