Serbia stunned by USA basketball semi-final escape act

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Serbia stunned by USA basketball semi-final escape act

The USA trailed at every break but found a way through to another men’s basketball gold medal game, defeating a gallant Serbia 95-91 in a sensational semi-final.

Nikola Jokic’s side threatened one of the boilovers of the Paris Games, leading for 35 minutes of the 40-minute contest.

Down by 15 points just before three-quarter-time, the star-studded Americans found a way.

Stephen Curry scored 36 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:16 left and LeBron James fired a triple-double as they roared home.

“I’ve seen a lot of Team USA basketball,” Curry said. “And that was a special one.”

On the final siren, Serbian players were distraught to have let this big fish off the *****.

For three quarters, they were imperious. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points for Serbia, Jokic scored 17 and Aleksa Avramovic found 15.

In the decisive fourth quarter, one transition was key.

With 7:30 remaining, Jokic missed a three-pointer which would given his nation a 14-point buffer.

Off the rebound, Kevin Durant made a three-pointer while Anthony Davis was getting fouled.

The US enjoyed another possession, and off the inbounds Devin Booker made another three.

Suddenly, Serbia’s lead was just five, and the ********* surge felt inevitable.

The comeback was the biggest by an ********* Olympic team since the addition of NBA players to the competition in 1992.

The USA has won all but one of the gold since then, and will start hot favourites against France in the showpiece match.

The gold medal game is a rematch from the Tokyo Games three years ago, where the Americans prevailed 87-82.

“I’m really humbled to have been a part of this game,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said.

“It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. They were perfect. They played a perfect game.”

“They forced us to reach the highest level of competition that we could find. And our guys were incredible in that fourth quarter, and they got it done.”

James hailed Joel Embiid, who scored 19, ********* 8 of 11 attempts.

“Joel was everything,” James said. “Made every big shot.”

Curry’s 36 points was the second most by an ********* man in an Olympic match, one behind a 37-point game from Carmelo Anthony – who was courtside in Paris – against Nigeria in 2012.

“That was a godlike performance,” Durant said of Curry.

In the build-up to the clash, Serbia coach Svetislav Petic said the ********* team was even better than the Michael Jordan-era Dream Team.

His mind wasn’t changed after this one.

“They’re that good,” he said.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Serbia #stunned #USA #basketball #semifinal #escape #act

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up