How Team USA is Doing in the 2024 Paris Basketball Olympics

No matter how much the rest of the world is getting better at the sport of basketball, the United States of America is still the king of hoops among all nations. Headlined by the triumvirate of

LeBron James

,

Kevin Durant

and

Stephen Curry

, Team USA’s star-studded

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

roster is looking to redeem the country’s failure to finish on the podium during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

With its loaded lineup, this team is the heavy favorite to win the Gold Medal in men’s basketball this summer. They have won 16 of the 19 tournaments since 1936.

But it won’t be an easy path for Team USA as the rest of the world is catching up talent-wise.

Team USA won Group C to advance to the knockout rounds. After beating Brazil in a quarterfinal and rallying for an all-time comeback win over Serbia in the semis, the United States will face

Victor Wembanyama

and France in the Gold Medal Game.

Team USA vs. Serbia – August 8

The Stephen Curry game

In an all-time Olympic basketball classic, the United States trailed Serbia by 13 points entering the fourth quarter before outscoring Nikola Jokić, Bogdan Bogdanović and Co. by 17 over the final 10 minutes to rally and secure a 95-91 win.

Team USA will now face Victor Wembanyama and France in the Gold Medal Game.

This win will be remembered as the Stephen Curry game. Curry, who’s playing in his first Olympics and hadn’t been much of a factor in the US’s first four wins of the tournament, hit nine three-pointers to finish with a game-high 36 points.

Curry scored 11 of Team USA’s first 12 points (hitting three straight from deep) and never looked back.

LeBron James took over in spurts, especially when the US needed an emotional boost. He finished with a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Joel Embiid had his best game of the Olympics, knocking down crucial shots at crucial times, including a run of seven straight points in the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points.

Bogdanovic had a loud 20 points to lead Serbia, while Jokic finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Only France stands in the way of Team USA’s fifth consecutive gold medal. Wembanyama will take on Curry, LeBron, Kevin Durant and the rest of the US men on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Team USA vs. Brazil – August 6

Most dominant win of the tournament

The USA scored 33 points in the first quarter to lead by 12 and never looked back in a 122-87 rout of Brazil. It was the United States’ most dominant win of the Olympics from start to finish.

Six players scored in double figures, led by Devin Booker with 18 points and Anthony Edwards with 17. LeBron James turned in an all-around performance (12 points, three rebounds, nine assists, three steals) before exiting the game in the second half after getting hit in the eye.

James came out of the locker room and back onto the bench for the final few minutes.

Joel Embiid started at center and scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting and 3-for-3 from three, to go along with seven rebounds. Anthony Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Kevin Durant finished with 11 points.

The USA’s size advantage was evident from the opening minutes. They outrebounded Brazil 35 to 23 and controlled the paint on both ends.

The Americans shot 57.7 percent from the field and 48.4 percent from three.

The win puts Team USA into the Olympic semifinals, where it will face Nikola Jokić and Serbia for a chance at the gold medal game. The US beat Serbia by 26 points in their first game of the tournament.

The winner will advance to face the winner of Germany and Greece. The semifinals are set for Aug. 8, with Team USA playing at 3 p.m.

Team USA vs. Puerto Rico – August 3

Anthony Edwards sizzles with 26 points

Team USA continued its dominance in the Olympics with a resounding 104-83 win over Puerto Rico on Saturday. Puerto Rico, who had a 29-25 lead after the first period, was able to keep in step with the Americans through the first one and a half quarters.

But Team USA eventually asserted its dominance the rest of the way, going on a 28-8 run to close the second quarter, ultimately outscoring the Puerto Ricans, 39-16 in the period.

Anthony Edwards

led Team USA with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc. After getting a DNP in their previous outing against South Sudan,

Joel Embiid

returned to the starting lineup versus Puerto Rico and tallied 15 points, three rebounds, and two blocks in the victory.

Jrue Holiday sat out the game for precautionary reasons as he was dealing with an ankle injury. Tyrese Haliburton, who has been out of the rotation for Team USA, finally saw the floor and made his Olympics debut.

With the win, Team USA has clinched the top seed and will take on Brazil in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Team USA vs. South Sudan – July 31

Bam Adebayo, bench lead USA to comfortable win

In a rematch of one of the most talked about games heading into the Olympics, Team USA dispatched of South Sudan with relative ease, leading from start to finish on its way to a 17-point, 103-86 win.

Jayson Tatum

was a spectator for all 40 minutes of the opening game victory over

Nikola Jokic

and Serbia, but he got the start against a wing-heavy South Sudan lineup. While he only scored four points in 17 minutes, it at least put an overexaggerated storyline to bed.

Instead, it was Joel Embiid who fell out of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, perhaps in part due to his poor fit against South Sudan’s athleticism.

Anthony Davis

started in Embiid’s place, but Kerr may have to rethink his center strategy moving forward as

Bam Adebayo

was Team USA’s best player, scoring a team-high 18 points in just 21 minutes on 8-for-10 shooting.

Adebayo knocked down a pair of threes, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots. He was the most physically dominant player on the floor.

Team USA’s bench showed up in a big way, led by Adebayo, but Durant continued his role as a Sixth Man and scored 14 points in 22 minutes.

Tyrese Haliburton

got his first Olympic minutes and knocked down a pair of threes.

Derrick White

was a perfect 3-for-3 from deep and finished with 10 points and three steals.

Anthony Edwards

cruised to 13 points in 17 minutes.

The only starters in double figures were James (12 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and

Devin Booker

(10 points, six assists).

If Team USA’s bench will dominate games like it did against South Sudan, it might be a cakewalk to Olympic Gold.

Team USA vs. Serbia – July 28

James, Durant Dominate in Tournament-Opener

Team USA got off to a sluggish start to open the game as Serbia raced off to a 10-2 lead early on. Then Kevin Durant happened.

Durant, who missed all of USA’s preliminary games, returned from a calf injury and instantly made an impact as soon as he stepped on the floor after starting the game on the bench. The two-time NBA Finals MVP went off for 21 first half points and made all of his eight shots from the field, including five from beyond the arc.

After taking a nine point lead into the half, Team USA cruised the rest of the way, with LeBron James leading the team with 21 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.

Jrue Holiday

also had a strong outing on both ends, as he finished with 15 points and three three-pointers, while Stephen Curry added 11 points and three triples.

Jayson Tatum

did not see the floor at all on Sunday, as he was a DNP in Durant’s return.

Tyrese Haliburton

, who did not play in Team USA’s exhibition finale, also did not take off his warmers for this game. This development will be worth monitoring as Team USA head coach Steve Kerr rounds out his rotations for the rest of the tournament.

After Sunday’s slate of games, Team USA holds the top spot in Group C with a +26 point differential. The other winner, South Sudan, defeated Puerto Rico by 11 points.

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