Paris Olympics: Americans win fifth straight gold in basketball

After surviving Serbia in the semi-finals two days ago (with some kind help from the referees), USA basketball team didn’t had such problems in the Olympic finals against the host and recorded a win which gave them fifth straight gold medal in basketball (17 so far in this sport): USA – France 98:87 (20:15, 29:26, 23:25, 26:21). The Americans played the final nonchalantly, literally pacing themselves and accelerating just enough to maintain a lead from nearly the first to the last minute. When France started to hope they might reach a close finish and possibly harm the best team in the world, Steph Curry took a bucket of ice water and extinguished that hope with a run of four consecutive three-pointers. It was as if he had saved himself for those last three minutes of the final to turn the game into his own little show, tear apart the French net, and destroy the opponent.

In a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, LeBron James and the US team stacked with NBA stars once again proved too much for France, despite the efforts of sensational NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. France sliced a 14-point deficit to three with 3 min 04 sec to play on Wembanyama's put-back dunk, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry drilled a three-pointer -- one of four from him with less than three minutes remaining -- and the United States relentlessly powered to the finish. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker added 15 points apiece and James scored 14 with six rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and a block.

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For Durant it was a US men's record fourth Olympic gold. James earned his third and Curry, a four-time NBA champion, claimed his first in his first Olympic appearance.

"There's a lot of relief. It wasn't easy but, damn, I'm excited, man. This is everything that I wanted it to be and more, so I'm excited" Curry said. Wembanyama had his best offensive game of the Olympics, scoring 26 points. Guerschon Yabusele added 20. Earlier Saturday, Serbia won bronze with a dominant 93-83 victory over World Cup champions Germany. Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic posted a triple double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Serbia, who lost 95-91 to the United States in the semi-finals.