(NEXSTAR) — Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James lifted Team USA basketball to its fifth consecutive gold medal and 17th overall, defeating France Saturday, 98-87.
The host nation didn’t make it easy. While the U.S. led a majority of the contest, France refused to let them run away with it. They pulled within 3 points in the closing minutes of the game.
However, Curry did what Curry does. With roughly 2:30 left in the game, he nailed a 3-pointer that extended Team USA’s lead and shifted the momentum of the contest. Then Curry hit three more to close the door.
The French, led by phenom Victor Wembanyama, hoped for its first gold after settling for silver at the 1948, 2000 and 2020 Olympics, losing the final to the Americans in each of those tournaments. France held off World Cup champion Germany 73-69 to advance to Saturday’s final.
Wembanyama and France came out strong early with the home crowd rallying behind them. The NBA Rookie of the Year scored seven points in the first four minutes, including a highlight dunk after blowing past Joel Embiid at the top of the key.
The star power of Team USA proved to be just too much –pulling out a double-digital lead in the 2nd quarter and largely never looking back. France was able to pull within a few points, including 6 heading into the 4th quarter, but the superstars of the U.S. were just too much.
Heading into the finals, the U.S. men rallied to beat Serbia 95-91 in a compelling semifinal. Curry had 36 points
The game was a rematch of the final in Tokyo three years ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.