It was already past 11 p.m. in Paris when Stephen Curry dribbled behind his back, moved to his right and launched a 3-pointer with two defenders guarding him. When the shot swished through the net, Curry raised his arms, pressed his palms together and rested his head on his hands.
An Olympic-sized version of his signature “Night Night” pose to put French hopes to bed once and for all.
Curry scored 24 points on eight 3-pointers to help the United States finish off a gold medal-or-bust campaign at the Paris Olympics with a 98-87 win over the host nation in the final at Bercy Arena on Saturday night.
The United States won the gold medal for the fifth straight Olympics.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker both scored 15 points, and LeBron James added 14 points and six rebounds.
The U.S. held France at arm’s length for most of the night but had to deal with one last pocket of resistance late in the fourth quarter, when French phenom Victor Wembanyama scored to trim the U.S. lead to three points with just over three minutes left.
The Americans restored order with an 8-2 run that featured a pair of 3-pointers from Curry.
When France made another push to get within six with 36 seconds left, Curry answered with his circus shot over two defenders.
Curry, who has won four NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors, earned his first gold medal with the win, to pick up one of the few things his illustrious resume was missing.