The United States of NBA superstars LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant suffered to eliminate Serbia of Nikola Jokic (95-91) on Thursday at Bercy and will meet France in the final of the Olympic basketball tournament.
The Americans, who trailed for most of the match, only regained control with two minutes to go. They will be aiming for a fifth consecutive title on Saturday against the French, whom they beat in the final in Tokyo in 2021.
Saturday (9:30 p.m.) still at Paris-Bercy, Team USA will aim for a 17th gold medal, obviously a record.
The Americans, shaken, were kept in contact for a long time by Stephen Curry (36 pts), relentless behind the arc (9/14). It was even the Golden State shooter who allowed his team to get back in front (87-86) for the first time since the first quarter.
Proof that they had sensed the bad wind, the four-time reigning Olympic champions celebrated LeBron James’ lay-up (16 pts) after his defensive rebound (the 12th) with angry shouts.
LeBron James and his teammates were overwhelmed by the Serbians who accelerated at the start of the second quarter (42-25).
In the group stage, “Team USA” had easily disposed (110-84) of Nikola Jokic’s team (17 pts, 11 assists), double MVP of the NBA.
Nicknamed the “Avengers,” this team of NBA superstars was assembled following last year’s industrial disaster at the World Cup, finishing in fourth place after two slaps against Germany (113-111) and then Canada (127-118).
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