USA basketball survives STUNNING scare from Serbia at 2024 Olympics
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Posted: 9:49 PM GMT, August 8, 2024 | Revised: 10:31 PM GMT, August 8, 2024
In the men's basketball game, Team USA was losing by 17 points at one point. They had to make a big comeback towards the end of the game to narrowly beat Serbia and move on to the gold medal match against France. The final score was 95-91.
Down by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, the American team rallied to even the score and then surged ahead with a strong showing in the last period to secure the win.
Steph Curry was the top scorer for the United States, scoring 36 points and also getting eight rebounds and two assists.
Joel Embiid scored 19 points while LeBron James contributed 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in the game.
The exciting victory led to the anticipated showdown that basketball enthusiasts were hoping for, as the USA Dream Team faced a motivated France team on Saturday.
Kevin Durant and LeBron James are happy about a point scored in the United States' victory against Serbia.
Steph Curry was the top scorer for the United States, putting up 36 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out two assists.
Energized by the excitement from their cheering fans, France emerged victorious in a close 73-69 battle against Germany.
Guided by Victor Wembanyama, who is the top pick in the NBA draft, France aims to be the team that breaks the United States' winning streak in this competition.
The United States has claimed the top spot in men's basketball at the past four Olympic Games and nearly every Games since 1992.
That winning streak was in danger for most of Thursday evening, though.
In the final quarter, with the team trailing by eight points, Devin Booker made a long three-point shot to reduce the difference to five points with just over seven minutes remaining.
Serbia gave a strong challenge to the USA and had a 13-point advantage at the beginning of the final quarter.
The game went back and forth until Embiid was fouled while making a basket. He converted the free throw, making it a four-point game with five minutes left.
Embiid stepped up once more, sinking a fadeaway jumper to bring the deficit to just two points with 4:22 remaining in the game.
James made a nice layup to score and tie the game, completing the comeback with a lot of time left.
The match stayed tight, but a last-minute basket from Kevin Durant and a couple of free throws from Curry secured the win.
Nikola Jokic scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out eleven assists in Serbia's loss.
Joel Embiid scored 19 points and LeBron James scored 16 points during Thursday's game.
In the end, the United States managed to turn the game around after falling behind in the first three quarters. They outscored Serbia 31-15 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Serbia was guided by Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out three assists.
Nikola Jokic had a great game with 17 points, five rebounds, and eleven assists. He ended up as the second top scorer, while Aleksa Avramovic scored 15 points.
The USA team is set to compete against France in the final match for the gold medal. The American team is aiming to secure a fifth consecutive Olympic championship on Saturday.
