The U.S. men’s national basketball team won its fifth straight Olympic gold medal on Saturday after a thrilling 98-87 win over France with one Mississippian playing a key role in the latest accomplishment for Team USA.
While late-game heroics from NBA all-time three-point leader Steph Curry willed Team USA to a hard-fought victory against its French counterparts in front of a Paris crowd, Moss Point’s Devin Booker was in on the action throughout the matchup.
Team USA boasted an eight-point lead after a contentious first half. Once the third quarter began, the Americans started to garner some momentum and found themselves up by 14 in a contest that had been a back-and-forth affair. But the French, led by a young up-and-coming Victor Wembanyama, would not go away.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Team USA’s lead dwindled down to six as the French were determined to pull off the upset in front of a home crowd. Efforts by stars in Curry, Lebron James, and Kevin Durant to separate Team USA on the scoreboard were countered by a ferocious France squad that managed to cut the deficit to three points with 2:58 left on the clock.
Then the Curry avalanche began. In the next two-and-a-half minutes, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors standout managed to connect on not one, not two, not three, but four triples to help the U.S. go from having a one-score lead to being in the driver’s seat to win by double-figures. A layup by Booker with 21 seconds left in the game sealed the deal for Team USA to earn the gold.
Oui Win 🥇🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/eSBGhXgvTL
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 10, 2024
After getting the start on Saturday, Booker accounted for a team-second-best 15 points while also amassing five rebounds and a trio of assists. Curry led the group in scoring with 24 points. Durant recorded 15 points. James ended the contest with a double-double consisting of 14 points and an impressive 10 assists.
