A virtuoso performance by Stephen Curry helped the U.S. men’s basketball team avoid disaster Thursday in Paris.
Team USA trailed Serbia by as many as 17 points in the 2024 Olympic semifinals but roared back to win 95-91, led by Curry’s 36 points and eight rebounds.
Joel Embiid and LeBron James chipped in 19 and 16 points, respectively, for the U.S., which will face France on Saturday in a rematch of the gold medal game from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
As was the case when they faced Serbia in the group stage — and cruised to an easy win over Nikola Jokic and Co. — U.S. head coach Steve Kerr chose not to use Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum on Thursday. Tatum watched the entirety of the Americans’ dramatic victory from the bench, with Kerr not wavering from his plan even as Serbia led by double digits for much of the game.
Tatum and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton were the only DNPs for Team USA.
All told, Boston’s three Olympic representatives combined for just three points in the win — all by Jrue Holiday, who added seven assists.
Holiday made his second consecutive start and was Team USA’s top facilitator during a shaky first quarter. He dished out three assists before his first trip to the bench, including two that set up Curry 3-pointers.
Curry was by far the Americans’ best player in the opening frame, pouring in 17 points and accounting for all but one of his team’s made baskets. The rest of the roster went 1-for-8 from the floor. Serbia made nine of its first 11 shots and led 31-23 after one quarter.
Derrick White, who checked in for Curry after eight minutes, misfired on his first 3-pointers and didn’t make his typical impact on the defensive end. Serbian players made baskets over White on back-to-back possessions to take a 14-point lead early in the second. After the second, White returned to the bench and didn’t see the floor for the rest of the half as Serbia took an 11-point advantage into halftime.
The U.S. mounted a third-quarter comeback led by James and Embiid to get back within striking distance. A three by Holiday cut the Serbia lead to 65-59 with 3:30 left in the quarter. But the underdogs responded with another flurry to push their lead back to 13.
That run featured another defensive slip-up by White, whose foul on a Marko Guduric triple led to a four-point play for Serbia. The Celtics guard played a tournament-low seven minutes in the win and finished with no points, no assists, no rebounds and one steal.
But the Americans didn’t fold. Riding a lineup of Curry, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, James and Embiid, Team USA stormed back. A driving layup from James tied the score at 84-84 with 3:41 remaining, and Curry’s ninth three of the game put the U.S. ahead for the first time since midway through the first quarter.
Subsequent layups by James and Curry stretched the U.S. lead to five points. After a pair of Serbia makes sandwiched around a pull-up jumper by Durant, Curry sank two free throws to ice the game and cap an electric individual performance. The Golden State star finished 12-for-19 from the floor and 9-for-14 from three.
France booked its place in the Olympic final by upsetting Canada in the quarterfinals and Germany in the semis. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama headlines the host nation’s talented roster, but the leading French scorer in both knockout games was a familiar name to Celtics fans: forward Guerschon Yabusele.
Yabusele, a 2016 first-round pick who played two seasons for Boston, scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added seven rebounds, two assists and one steal before fouling out late against Germany. He dropped 22 points two days earlier to help power France past Canada.
The 26-year-old has played in Europe since 2019, suiting up for Spanish power Real Madrid for the last three seasons. Perhaps his strong showings in Paris will earn him another look from an NBA club.
Germany, the winner of last year’s FIBA World Cup, also got positive performances from a pair of ex-Celtics on Thursday. Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 18 points while Daniel Theis grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked one shot.
The U.S. is seeking its fifth consecutive gold medal. Tipoff on Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
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