Its journey was not an easy one, but the United States is once again on top of the Olympic men's basketball world.
Successfully keeping a pesky France squad at bay in front of its home fans in the second half, the Americans triumphed 98–87 to win their fifth straight gold medal in the event.
Guard Stephen Curry led the United States with 24 points (including eight three-pointers), while guard Devin Booker and forward Kevin Durant contributed 15 points apiece.
For the French, center Victor Wembanyama tallied a team-high 26 points.
After trailing 49–41 at the half, France gradually whittled the Americans' lead to three with just under three minutes left. Curry almost immediately hit a backbreaking three-pointer to put the Americans up 85–79.
The United States has won every men's basketball gold medal since 2004, when it won bronze in forward LeBron James's first Olympics.
As for the French, their silver medal on home soil represented their third such medal of the century—following similar accolades in 2000 in Sydney and 2021 in Tokyo.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as United States Holds Off France to Win Fifth Straight Men's Basketball Olympic Gold.
