America erased a 17-point deficit to beat Nikola Jokic’s Serbia 95-91 on Thursday and attain the Olympic males’s basketball closing, protecting their bid for a fifth straight gold medal alive.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry dazzled with 36 factors and all-time NBA scoring chief LeBron James had a triple-double of 16 factors, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
However it took a large fourth-quarter effort to lastly subdue the Serbs, who led a lot of the night time and took a 76-63 benefit into the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker drilled back-to-back three-pointers to begin the fight-back.
Joel Embiid pulled the States inside 4 with a three-point play and James tied it up at 84-84 with 3:41 to play.
Curry rattled in a three-pointer with 2:24 remaining to provide the USA their first lead because the first quarter 87-86.
James adopted with a driving layup, Curry grabbed a steal and drove for a basket that pushed the US result in 5 and the People held on.
“We all know we weren’t taking part in our greatest basketball in any respect the entire recreation, however we have been like two or three possessions away or one unhealthy bounce away from flipping the momentum,” Curry stated.
“We might really feel it. There was a degree finish of the third quarter the place you began to really feel a bit like … are they going to decelerate in any respect?
“That first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter modified every thing.”
Embiid scored 19 factors and Durant awoke simply in time after a sleepy first half so as to add 9 and the US maintained their probability to say a seventeenth Olympic crown.
Three-time NBA Most Useful Participant Jokic completed with 17 factors and 11 assists for Serbia, who bought 20 factors from a superb Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Curry bought off to a scorching begin, drilling 5 three-pointers on the way in which to 17 first-quarter factors.
However Serbia mixed for 5 three-pointers themselves and led 31-23 after a frenetic first quarter during which solely 4 gamers scored for the USA.
Serbia continued to pour it on, pushing their result in 42-25 with greater than six minutes left within the second interval.
Struggling offensively, the USA have been additionally unable to gradual the Serbian offense keyed by Jokic.
Aleksa Avramovic was a lethal four-of-six from three-point vary on the way in which to fifteen first-half factors and Atlanta Hawks taking pictures guard Bogdanovic had 12 earlier than the break.
Curry had 20 factors within the first half however subdued Phoenix Suns star Durant missed his solely try.
Instantly the USA, whose romp via the group stage included a 110-84 victory over Serbia, seemed in deep trouble for the primary time on the Paris Video games.
Again-to-back three-pointers from Curry and Jrue Vacation lower the deficit to 59-65 however attempt as they may the US couldn’t reel Serbia in.
Marko Guduric transformed a four-point play when he was fouled by Derrick White on a bomb from effectively past the arc to propel Serbia into the fourth quarter within the ascent.