Team USA was 10 minutes away from utter failure. Trailing by 13 entering the fourth quarter, the team many have regarded as the most talented since the 1992 Dream Team faced the prospect of possibly the biggest disappointment in program history.
So they turned to Steph Curry.
Curry, who kept the US’s offense afloat as it got stagnant against Serbia’s zone, gave the US its first lead since the first quarter with a 3-pointer off the catch. He added a steal and layup with 1:41 left and sank the game-sealing free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining to survive.
Curry finished with a game-high 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting, carrying Team USA to the gold medal round. Nikola Jokic (17 points, 11 assists) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points) gave America by far its biggest scare, leading by as much as 17 and controlling most of the game, but in the end, America’s superior talent won out in a thrilling 95-91 comeback victory.
Despite being stagnant against Serbia’s zone, constantly losing track of their 3-point shooters and committing 10 turnovers, USA is set to face the hosting nation France in the championship.
Curry’s first Olympics haven’t gone as well as anyone imagined, at least on the court. He logged point totals of 11, three, eight and seven before the semifinals. Even with the familiarity of Steve Kerr as head coach, Curry’s teammates weren’t used to his frenetic off-ball relocation and movement.
Against Serbia, it clicked. Curry scored 11 of the US’s first 12 points, hitting jumper after jumper.
On a wide-open 3 in the corner in transition, Curry turned to look at his bench before the ball inevitably dropped in.
It took Curry less than four minutes to set a new Olympics career-high.
Kerr kept Curry on the court when the second unit checked in, adjusting from his traditional platoon subbing pattern. Right away, Curry rewarded his coach’s decision by shaking a defender out of his shoes and dropping off a pass to Anthony Davis for free throws.
Then Curry drilled another 3 off a pump fake, giving him 17 first-quarter points. As he jogged back on defense, Curry shook his head. Even as Curry broke out, Serbia couldn’t miss.
Serbia earned a 31-23 lead with a balanced offensive effort. Jokic notched six points and five assists in the opening frame — their highest-scoring quarter of the tournament.
Even a banked 3 went in for Serbia as they continued to pour it on in the second quarter, expanding their lead to 14. Team USA, who had rolled to victories of 35, 26, 17 and 21, faced by far its biggest test.
Jokic blocked LeBron James at the rim and scored an and-1 layup on the other end, pushing Serbia’s advantage to 42-25. The US defeated Serbia twice before the semis — once in group stage and the other in an exhibition — but the best player in the world can do a lot to bridge the talent gap.
Jokic’s personal rival, Joel Embiid, hit a 3 to get America back within 10. But USA botched a 3-on-2 fast break — with Curry missing a clean look from 3 instead of the US getting a layup — and Bogdan Bogdanovic nailed a 3 on the other end.
The biggest deficit USA faced before the semis was eight; they trailed by double digits for nearly the entire semifinal. America went into halftime down 54-43 despite Curry’s 20.
Even with the stunning first half, Kerr sent out his starters for the second half. They increased their ball pressure defensively and slowed down the pace. Curry canned his seventh and eighth 3s, but Serbia’s hot shooting continued, too.
With 30 seconds left in the half, Marko Guduric converted a four-point play, erasing all the work USA did to shave their lead. America entered the most intense 10 minutes of Olympic basketball this group has faced trailing by 13.
Curry, Kevin Durant and James — who notched a triple-double — shared the court and made a push. An officiating quirk made back-to-back 3s from Durant and Devin Booker possible, and Serbia’ offense tightened up.
The US ran much of its crunch time offense through Embiid in the post, and he came through. He scored seven straight points before James finished inside to tie the game at 84 with 3:39 left. A minute later, Curry’s ninth 3 gave the US the lead.
Then came the steal-and-score. And after a vintage Durant isolation pull-up, Curry made both foul shots to clinch the win — and avoid a colossal shock.
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