In an epic semifinal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Team USA overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Serbia 95-91.
The game, marked by dramatic swings, saw the Americans trailing by 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter but pulling ahead with just three minutes remaining.
Stephen Curry led Team USA with a game-high 36 points, including nine three-pointers, while Joel Embiid added 19 points. LeBron James contributed 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Kevin Durant made critical contributions with nine points.
Serbia was led by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 20 points, Nikola Jokic, who had 17 points and 11 assists, and Aleksa Avramovic with 15 points.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr praised the effort of his team, noting the competitive spirit and resilience needed to overcome a formidable Serbian squad.
“It’s impossible to rank Steph’s performances because there have been so many of them,” Kerr said. “But it was a competitive spirit of the whole group that really stood out to me. We needed everything because Serbia played, I thought, the perfect game. They were amazing.”
Kerr emphasized the magnitude of the challenge posed by Serbia. “I was very worried about this game based on the fact that they have Nikola Jokic and we’ve beaten them twice, both times rather easily,” Kerr said.
“Avramovic hits four threes in the first half. He’s a 22% shooter. They played the perfect game. We had to play a perfect fourth quarter to come back and beat them.”
In a notable moment, the fourth quarter featured four NBA MVPs on the court: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Nikola Jokic. Kerr humorously remarked, “Great coaching. Wish we could put in how about five MVPs. That would be a good idea.”
Kerr reflected on the strategic decisions during the final stretch. “It’s an interesting position to be when you have so much talent at your disposal. It’s an incredible luxury and it’s also difficult for decision-making,” Kerr said. “But those were the guys we went to. Individually and collectively they were playing the best that we had played all night. So we just stayed with them.”
He concluded with a heartfelt statement about the game’s impact. “One of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. Humbled by being part of it,” Kerr said, via Gary Washburn.
The Americans will face France in the gold medal game, while Serbia will take on Germany in the bronze medal game, which will be a rematch of the 2023 FIBA World Cup final, which was won by the Germans.
