The U.S. men’s basketball team defeated host country France on Saturday for its fifth straight Olympic gold medal, 98-87. But the French didn’t make it easy.
The Americans built a 14-point lead in the third quarter, but France fought back to cut the deficit to 3 late in the game. Steph Curry, who had eight three-pointers for a team-high 24 points, drilled one of them to put the Americans ahead, 93-84, with 1:18 left. After making the last of four shots beyond the arc in the last 2 minutes and 43 seconds, he gave a night-night gesture to the Bercy Arena crowd
NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama led France with 26 points.
The U.S. now has beaten France in eight of their nine matchups in Olympic history and secured its second finals win against the French in back-to-back Olympics.
