Team USA’s 95-91 survival comeback Thursday night over Serbia in advancing to Saturday’s gold medal game against France in the 2024 Paris Olympics appeared ready to stall out early in the fourth quarter.
Looked like Serbia was going to take down arguably the most talented team ever assembled by USA basketball. The Serbians withstood USA’s rally in the third quarter and went back up double digits.
Then Kevin Durant and Devin Booker came to the rescue – and started the final run that saved the Americans from the ultimate embarrassment of playing for a bronze medal with all-time greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry on the team.
The Phoenix Suns duo combined for eight points in a 45-second span to cut Serbia’s 11-point advantage to five, 80-75 with 6:33 left, giving Team USA renewed hope and energy.
Durant first nailed a 3. Booker followed with a deep one and Durant closed the 8-2 burst with a bucket.
All of a sudden, Serbia didn’t have that same bark from the first half when a fired-up Bogdan Bogdanovic was imitating Carmelo Anthony’s famed 3-point sign and staring at the three-time Olympic champion sitting courtside.
The Serbians had the look of a team wondering if they had enough left in the tank to pull off the huge upset after leading by as many as 17 in the first half.
In turn, Team USA started rediscovering its edge and swagger fueled by momentum. The bench was pumped, providing energy to the players on the court and the crowd shifted its cheers to the Americans.
Then Joel Embiid, Curry and James took it from there.
The trio generated Team USA’s next 16 points to push the Americans up five, 91-86, with 1:41 remaining.
Embiid posted seven of his 19 points and a blocked shot during that 16-6 surge. Criticized for his lack of impact in group play and appearing out of shape, Embiid has come through the past two games.
Curry scored five points with his ninth 3-pointer giving Team USA the lead for good, 87-86, and had a steal that led to his second basket in transition, forcing Serbia to call a timeout with 1:41 left.
As for James, he delivered two assists, the second on Curry’s 3, and four points on two driving layups. The ageless 39-year-old with gray hairs decorating his beard went end to end on the second one, splitting two Serbian defenders and finishing with a one-handed flip shot over his head.
Curry was vintage in his breakout 36-point performance, hitting 9-of-14 from 3. Team USA wouldn’t have had a chance to rally back without Curry’s 3-point barrage in the first half (6-of-9 from distance).
Serbia was taking it to the team that splattered them by 26 points twice: in an exhibition and in group play.
James posted a second triple-double in Olympic competition with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first person to ever record multiple triple-doubles in the Olympics.
And Embiid showed why Team USA chose him to play — to match arguably the best player in the world, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Embiid scored 19 points to Jokic’s 17.
Those three deserve praise, but Durant and Booker first shined the comeback light when all seemed dark and lost for Team USA.
Yes, Durant didn’t score in the first half on a shot attempt after dropping 23 on Serbia in his return game from a calf injury, but he came through with nine points in the second half.
His final basket put Team USA ahead, 93-89, with 34 seconds left.
Durant waved everyone away and sized up Filip Petrusev at the top of the 3-point line.
He took Petrusev left, crossed him right, hit the Serbian with the hesitation dribble, rose and knocked down the pullup.
That had Anthony pumping his fist and going crazy.
Booker scored only six points after his 18-point performance versus Brazil but closed the game with Durant, Curry, James and Embiid.
Starting every Olympic game for Team USA, Booker registered the team’s second-highest plus/minus Thursday at plus 16 — and shielded a Serbian defender from contesting Curry’s transition layup to give the American that five-point lead late.
Curry finished with a plus-20.
Team USA may face an even greater challenge on Saturday in France.
The Frenchmen not only have 7-foot-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama, but they’re getting contributions from the likes of Isaia Cordinier, Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort.
They’re unknowns in America, but they’ve been all-world in the Olympics.
Four-time NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert has played a total of nine minutes in the quarterfinals and semifinals and gone scoreless.
If France gets anything out of him on Saturday, it’d be a bonus. Team USA’s size of Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Embiid will likely lead to Gobert seeing more action.
France has already taken down two unbeaten, Canada in the quarters and Germany in the semis. This is a rematch of the gold medal game in the Tokyo Olympics, played in 2021.
Team USA won, 87-82, on the strength of Durant’s 29 points.
James has emerged as Team USA’s leader. He and Curry are finally playing together and loving it while Embiid is answering the boos from the French crowd with buckets.
Those three will have a say in Saturday’s outcome, but so will Durant and Booker.
The Suns duo certainly showed up Thursday when Team USA’s celebrated run at a fifth consecutive gold medal almost ended in complete embarrassment.
