Joel Embiid’s summer trip to Paris ended on a golden note.
The American men's basketball team held off the host nation in Saturday's final at the Paris Olympics, clinching the gold medal with a 98-87 victory over France. The Team USA men have now won gold in five consecutive Olympics.
Stephen Curry was magnificent down the stretch and recorded 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting behind the arc. LeBron James added 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 15 points.
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Victor Wembanyama led France with 26 points.
Embiid only logged 11 minutes in the final and had four points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. He'd played a much larger role in the Americans' semifinal win over Serbia, posting 19 points.
The opening minutes were full of frenetic, back-and-forth action. James broke the ice with a fast-break slam, but Wembanyama responded with a three-pointer over Embiid.
Saturday’s game was nothing like Embiid’s 70-point performance back in January against Wembanyama and the Spurs. The NBA’s 2023-24 Rookie of the Year posted seven of France’s first 11 points, scoring a lefty bucket on Embiid in the post and also driving by the Sixers’ superstar for a dunk.
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Embiid’s only field-goal attempt in the first quarter was a missed mid-range jumper. He did not play for the rest of the first half as USA head coach Steve Kerr turned to Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo at center.
The game eventually settled down a bit and Team USA fared well when France used the gigantic frontcourt of Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Anthony Edwards made two long-range shots late in the first quarter and Davis’ put-back dunk gave the Americans a 24-17 edge.
France then pushed back with an 8-0 run, but threes by Booker and Curry and a James and-one hoop rebuilt a slim USA lead.
The French guards were quiet and struggled from three-point range, but Guerschon Yabusele seriously stepped up. He was ultra-aggressive on his way to 15 first-half points, including a powerful and-one slam on James.
Embiid was ready to roll at the start of the third quarter. During an active, physical stint, Embiid went 4 for 4 at the foul line, threw a football-style pass assist ahead to James, and played solid defense against both Wembanyama and Gobert.
The Americans took a 61-47 lead on a Curry triple. France immediately chipped away at its deficit, though. Evan Fournier found a groove late in the third quarter and Team USA's advantage was a mere six points entering the fourth.
Embiid stayed on the sidelines for the final period. The Americans appeared to be in a relatively comfortable position when Durant and Jrue Holiday knocked down timely jumpers early in the fourth, but a flurry of Team USA turnovers enabled the French to hang around.
Curry committed a giveaway when blitzed by Nicolas Batum and Wembanyama, which led to two Yabusele free throws. He split his foul shots to cut the Americans' lead to 82-77 and Wembanyama thrilled the home crowd with a put-back basket on France's next trip.
Ultimately, Team USA had enough left in the tank to hold off the French. Curry was the Americans' primary answer, sinking four crucial three-pointers over the final three minutes.
It was soon time to celebrate.
