Team USA survives Serbia's upset bid to advance to Paris Olympics gold medal game

Steph Curry had 36 points to lead the Americans back from a double-digit deficit against Nikola Jokic and the Serbs

Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; United States shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) celebrates after the game against Serbia in a men's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. / Photo by Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

It took an all-time performance from Steph Curry for Team USA to pull off a come-from-behind victory against Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinal round of the Paris Olympics men's basketball competition on Thursday. The Golden State Warriors guard had 36 points to lead the Americans in a 95-91 victory. 

LeBron James came up big on both ends of the floor down the stretch and finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Joel Embiid was a spark in the fourth quarter and had 19 points to Jokic’s 17 points.

Former Gonzaga standout Filip Petrusev had nine points, including a dunk late in the final period, as well as five rebounds. The teams combined to make 31 3-pointers in a game that never felt out of reach for the U.S. despite falling behind by as many as 17 points.

Paris had been waiting for a signature game out of Curry, who hadn’t scored in double figures since Team USA’s group stage opener against Serbia, and the future hall-of-famer didn’t waste any time delivering the fans what they came to see in the semifinals. In his signature fashion, Curry nailed five 3-pointers in the first quarter and scored 17 of Team USA’s first 20 points before checking out for the final two minutes. 

On the other end, the Americans couldn’t run the Serbs off the 3-point line. Serbia, which entered the semifinal averaging 8.8 made 3s per game, matched its average in the first half as six players combined to knock down 10 triples. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic extended Serbia’s lead to 15 after knocking down a 3-pointer in transition, prompting a timeout from the U.S. The two sides had to be ushered to the bench as James and Bogdanovic exchanged words with one another. 

James responded out of the timeout with a 3-pointer and an emphatic steal on Petrusev on the other end, which led to a dunk from Embiid that cut the Americans’ deficit to 10 points with over three minutes left in the half. Serbia maintained control to lead 54-43 at the break.

Another barrage from Curry cut the Serbs’ lead to six points on several occasions in the third quarter, though Jokic and company had a response ready every time. A 9-2 scoring run, capped off by a 4-point play from Marko Guduric, extended the lead back to 13 for the start of the fourth quarter.

Down double digits with a trip to the gold medal game on the line, the U.S. trotted out James, Curry and Kevin Durant to start the final period. James found Durant, using a screen from Anthony Davis, for a 3-ball right in front of Serbia’s bench, drawing a foul and cutting the deficit to single digits in the process. Devin Booker capitalized from the ensuing possession, forcing Serbia to regroup with the U.S. gaining momentum.

Embiid got it rolling with seven straight points to make it 84-82 in favor of Serbia. James tied it with a basket in transition, as the Americans tightened their clasps defensively to force timely turnovers down the stretch that created extra opportunities on the other end.

Curry reclaimed the lead with his ninth 3-pointer of the night, followed by a steal and score to put the U.S. ahead 91-86 after a 14-2 scoring run that absolutely flipped the game on its head.

Durant shut the door on Serbia with a pull-up jumper over Petrusev’s outstretched arm with over 30 seconds remaining to make it 93-89. Jokic cut the deficit in half with a layup, setting up Curry in a position to ice the game at the free-throw line.

The two-time NBA MVP drained both shots at the charity stripe, completing the comeback and keeping the hopes of a fifth consecutive gold medal alive in the process.

Team USA now faces France on Saturday at noon PST in the gold medal game. Petrusev and Serbia will face Germany, last year’s FIBA World Cup champions, in the bronze game earlier in the day at 2 a.m. PST.