For much of Thursday’s semifinal game against Serbia, Team USA men’s basketball looked to be in lots of trouble. It fell behind by as many as 17 points and trailed by 13 going into the fourth quarter, and the concerns critics had about the squad coming into the Olympics seemed to be manifesting.
But the team turned it on in a big way and rallied for a 95-91 win. It will now play France for the gold medal on Saturday.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis had a quiet outing with four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in just 10 minutes. But he didn’t exactly complain about his lack of playing time or the fact that he had just one shot attempt.
Instead, he praised Joel Embiid and Stephen Curry for carrying the United States’ scoring load en route to victory.
Anthony Davis: “Got two words. Stephen Curry. Joel Embiid.”
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 8, 2024
Embiid, who has often played poorly in the Olympics this summer, had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Curry, meanwhile, had one of the more remarkable performances in men’s Olympic basketball history with 36 points on 12-of-19 field-goal shooting and 9-of-14 from 3-point range, as well as eight rebounds.
Davis’ fellow Lakers superstar LeBron James was also instrumental in the win. The 39-year-old had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Davis has admitted he has embraced an unselfish attitude during the Summer Games by focusing mainly on defense and rebounding. The selflessness the entire team has shown could very well result in its fifth straight Olympic gold medal this weekend.