Team USA pulled off a come-from-behind victory in nail-biting fashion against Serbia in the Olympic semifinals on Thursday, setting the stage for a gold medal showdown with France in the final.
After the game, LeBron James credited Serbia for a well-fought game before championing Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid for their crucial contributions to the victory.
"Kudos to Serbia, but we came through. Chef Curry with a vintage Chef Curry game. Joel was big time for us. And we needed it, we needed it," James said.
“Kudos to Serbia but we came through. Chef Curry with a vintage Chef Curry game, Joel was big time for us, and we needed it.” LeBron gives credit after triple double win sending US to Olympic finals pic.twitter.com/rBF0mWOtAQ
— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) August 8, 2024
It certainly was a "vintage Chef Curry game," as the 36-year-old dropped a game-high 36 points while shooting 9-for-14 from three-point territory. He scored 17 of the U.S.'s first 20 points in the game and made five threes in the opening quarter. Curry's 36 points were the most in an Olympic knockout game in history for the United States.
Embiid also stepped up for the U.S., providing 19 points and four rebounds in the win. As for James, he logged a triple-double—just the fourth ever at the Olympics—with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. In doing so, James became the first player to record multiple triple-doubles at the Olympics.
LeBron James against Serbia 🇷🇸:
— FIBA (@FIBA) August 8, 2024
🔹 16 PTS
🔹 12 REB
🔹 10 AST
🔸 Only the fourth triple-double in Olympic history.
🔸 First player to record multiple triple-doubles in Olympic history.
👑 KING.#Paris2024 x #Basketball pic.twitter.com/PxYrE3UqNF
Although their performance was anything but pretty, the U.S. was able to turn things around in the fourth quarter and pull off the critical victory. Now, they'll look to secure the gold medal that they were widely favored to win, with the gold medal game on Saturday, Aug. 10.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen Curry, LeBron James Lead USA to Comeback Win vs. Serbia.
