Team USA needed a spark and Steph Curry delivered when it mattered most as he has throughout his professional basketball career.
Up by just three points with 2:48 left in the game, Curry put France’s Guerschon Yabusele on skates and hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to six. It would be the first of four 3-pointers Curry would hit in the final minutes of the game.
The fourth 3-pointer was the most with the USA up by six points.
Curry flashed toward the top of the arc to try to create space between himself and Nic Batum. He received the ball from Kevin Durant and dribbled to his left. He dribbled behind his back as Evan Fournier tried to help Batum guard Curry. The Golden State Warriors star had Batum and Fournier’s hands in his face when he threw up the shot with six seconds on the shot clock.
Bang.
Curry nailed it and the USA won the game, 98-87.
“It was an incredible moment,” Curry told NBC’s Mike Tirico after the game. “I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a very high level for a very long time. I don’t know. . . . This ranks very high in terms of the excitement and the feeling of relief to finish.”
Curry had 24 points – all from 3-pointers.
He embarked on his quest to win a gold medal following the 2022 NBA Championship win over the Boston Celtics. He thought about getting his first gold medal with Tirico.
“It’s special,” he said. “Two years ago, when we won our last championships, I knew this was going to be on the horizon and something I was excited to go after. Whatever you sign up for, whatever mission you take on, you give it your all have … the last five weeks with this group have been nothing but 1-2-3 gold We’ve seen say that.
“So, for us to finally achieve that, for me to get a gold medal is insane and I thank God for the opportunity to experience that.”
Durant and Devin Booker each had 15 points. LeBron James finished with 14 points.
It is the fifth straight gold medal for Team USA in men’s basketball and the fourth for Durant himself.
France finishes with silver medals in back-to-back Olympics.
Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Yabusele had 20 points.