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E-mail Xinhua, August 11, 2024
The U.S. defeated France 98-87 on Saturday to win the men's basketball gold medals for the fifth consecutive time at the Paris Olympic Games.
Stephen Curry (L) of the United States makes a penetration during the men's basketball gold medal game between the United States and France at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)
Stephen Curry scored 24 points, all from the eight three-pointers when he shot 8-out-of-10, to lead the U.S. to the top podium, again.
Young talent Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds for France, who won the Olympic silver medals for the second time in a row.
The U.S. managed a slim 20-15 lead in the first quarter before France used a 10-4 run to regain the lead by 25-24.
Devin Booker's 2+1 gave the U.S. a 46-36 lead towards the end of the first half and the U.S. led 49-41 to return to the locker room.
France, who had lost to the U.S. 87-82 in the Tokyo 2020 final, could not stop Curry when he made his fourth 3-pointer to give the U.S. a 61-47 lead midway in the third quarter.
Trailing 72-66 to enter the last quarter, France needed seven minutes playing-time to narrow the gap to 82-79, but Curry's four 3-pointers in a row silenced the crowds again and ensured the victory.
In the bronze medal finals, Serbia beat world champions Germany 93-83 thanks to Nikola Jokic's 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists performance.
Serbia had a solid lead on 30-21 in the first quarter, and extended it to a double-digit gap by 37-23. Germany cut the deficit under 10 points several times but never led in the game.
Vasilije Micic also scored 19 points for Serbia when six Serbians scored at least 10 points. Franz Wagner had 18 and his brother Moritz Wagner added 16.
Serbia had taken the silver medal at Rio 2016, and did not qualify for the Tokyo 2020 three years ago.
