Curry powers U.S. past France for gold

PARIS, France (AFP) — The United States won its fifth straight Olympic men’s basketball crown on Saturday, holding off a battling France 98-87 to take its tally of Olympic golds to 17.

In a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, LeBron James and the US team stacked with National Basketball Association (NBA) stars once again proved too much for France, despite the efforts of sensational NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.

France sliced a 14-point deficit to three with three minutes and four seconds to play on Wembanyama’s put-back dunk, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry drilled a three-pointer — one of four from him with less than three minutes remaining — and the United States relentlessly powered to the finish.

Curry finished with eight three-pointers — including a rainbow over a leaping Wembanyama — and led the US scoring with 24 points.

“You just simply marvel,” James said of Curry. “Having him on your side, you just try to get stops and figure out other ways on the other end but keep finding him, keep getting him the ball.”

Curry said of his late-game heroics: “I was just trying to settle us down.”

“All we wanted to do was get a good shot,” Curry said. “It had been a while since we had a good possession.

“(Finally) the momentum was on our side. At that point, your mind goes blank. You don’t really care about setting or the scenario or anything. It’s just a shot.”

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker added 15 points apiece and James scored 14 with six rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and a block.

For Durant it was a US men’s record fourth Olympic gold. James earned his third and Curry, a four-time NBA champion, claimed his first in his first Olympic appearance.

“There’s a lot of relief,” Curry said. “It wasn’t easy but, damn, I’m excited, man. This is everything that I wanted it to be and more, so I’m excited.”

Wembanyama had his best offensive game of the Olympics, scoring 26 points. Guerschon Yabusele added 20.

France connected on just nine of 30 three-point attempts and the United States held a 31-9 advantage in fast-break points.

Both teams were locked in defensively in a tense first half that featured 10 lead changes.

Wembanyama soared for a dunk that gave France an 11-10 lead and sent the Bercy Arena crowd into a frenzy.

The Americans were soon back in front when Booker made a layup off a behind-the-back pass from James and a steal from James set Jayson Tatum loose for a dunk.