France vs USA, Men’s Basketball Final Highlights, Paris 2024 Olympics: USA beats France 98-87 to win 17th gold medal

USA wins. 98-87! Steph Curry the game winner for USA as France succumbs again. 

STEPH CURRY!!! That should be the game. Sinks another three from an unimaginable position. USA leads by 11 points. 

Less than a minute on the clock. Davis refuses Fournier space to go for a three. But Wembanyama is not to be stopped. He puts in a three. Six-point game. 

De Colo drives into the D and shoots down a two. Steph Curry with his trademark pump fake followed by a three. French skipper Batum responds with a three of his own. Curry is not to be outdone. Another fake. Another shot from outside. Another three. 

Durant doesn’t miss from the line. Two FTs won. Two FTs converted. France calls a timeout. 2:22 left on the clock. 

Wembanyama shoots. Misses. But he flicks in the rebound. Steph Curry reannounces himself with a three point after behind the back pass from Lebron. 

De Colo is in at it again. Doesn’t miss the layup. Another quick turnover for France. Lebron forced into fouling Yabuzele. 2 FTs. Misses the first one. Scores the second. 

France misses two chances to add to the scoreboard. Wembanyama is subbed back in. USA gives up the ball again. 

Into the last five minutes. Couilbaly hits a two to cut USA’s lead to eight. 

Holiday goes for a three again. Misses this time. Lessort dances past two markers to put in a two. LeBron is not one to be left behind. Pumps in a two of his own. 

Wembanyama wins a foul while going for a layup. He misses the first FT and scores the second. Less than seven minutes to go. 

Lessort converts one of the two freethrows he wins. Durant is fouled and USA gets a breather. The ball circulates to Holiday who shoots a three. 

Time running out for USA on the shot clock. Up steps Kevin Durant. Swishes in a three from far. USA back in control again. 

Durant with an open shot for three. Misses. Davis picks up the pieces and turns the rebound in. 

Wembanyama goes for a three. Bounces right off the rim. 

Cordinier is fouled while going for a layup. 2 FTs and he misses both. Missed opportunity for France there. Turn over for USA. Durant sets up Davis for dunk. France responds immediately with a three from Fournier. 

END OF 3RD QUARTER

Last two minutes. Anthony Edwards is in a substitute and he gets a shot in and it is another two for the American. 

Fournier gets a three for France to further cut the gap. LeBron responds with a three of his own. Relentless stuff this final. Fournier gets another two points. The home crowd loves it. 

The French fans are loving this change in momentum. France still trails by nine points. Four minutes left on the clock. 

De Colo bounces one off the board and Wembanyama is there to put the rebound in. USA breaks quickly and LeBron pumps in a massive dunk. Wembanyama responds by firing in a three. USA calls for a timeout. NONSTOP!!!

Kevin Durant uses his strength to hold off the French defence to put in a two to reinstate USA’s 12-point lead. 

Technical foul against USA. Nando de Colo converts the freethrow. He follows it up with a three to cut down USA’s lead. 

Yabuzele drives across the D and draws a foul while attempting a two. He too converts the FTs. USA’s lead down to 11 points. LeBron takes his time before finding Curry again with an overhead pass. Curry sinks another three. France calls for a timeout. 

Another set of freethrows for Embiid. He doesn’t miss both. USA’s lead growing. 

LeBron dazzles through the French defence before finding Curry outside the ring. One side-step and whoosh. Three more points for USA. France hits back with a double. 

Wembanyama drives in to get a two in. His 15th point of the night. Slick passing from USA and the flow is eventually broken by a foul on Joel Embiid. Two FTs gained. Two points for USA. 

Kevin Durant sinks a two to get the second half of the game underway. 

Wembenyama inside the D and he finds Yabuzele with a disguised pass. Superb reverse layup from the French forward to get the 2. 

FRA 41-49 USA

Last minute of the quarter. USA with a turnover. Curry finds Jrue Holiday in space and he knocks down a three. 

Yabuzele wins two freethrows. Scores the first. Misses the second. But Wembanyama is there to pick up the pieces and nick in a 2. 

Curry and Booker join hands to reinstate USA back on top. A three from Curry and fast break 2 from Booker, followed by a FT means USA has a ten-point lead. 

Moment of the final? Yabuzele outmuscles LeBron to complete a dunk. He completes the FT and the French crowd goes wild. 

De Colo has plenty of time to lineup a three. But he misses and Durant makes the miss count worse as he pulls a three of his own. 

Under three minutes on the clock in the second quarter. Yabusele draws a foul from Durant inside the D. Another foul, this time by Adebayo. Yabusele gets three FTs. Sinks the first one. And the second. Misses the third. 

Booker and de Colo involved in a tussle and the referee is forced into playing negotiator. De Colo responds with a two to set things going. Lebron hits back with a powerful drive through the middle ending with an effortless layup. 

FRA 31-36 USA

Devin Booker with the first US three of the quarter after Wembanyama and Lebron exchange 2’s. Curry follows with another after Booker sets him up with a superb pass. 

Pump fake from Lebron as he gets past Wembanyama to go for a layup. But he misses the target and France comes again. Wembanyama too misses his shot. Six minutes left in the second quarter. 

COUIBALY!! He is there at the right place to put the two in puts France ahead by a point. 

Anthony Davis once again. He is there again to pick up a rebound and deposit a two. France responds immediately through Yabusele, who pumps in a three. Strazel follows suit. Another three. One-point game now. 

Anthony Davis is everywhere. First he blocks a French three-point attempt, before scrambling in a two point. 

FRA 15-22 USA

Anthony Edwards takes his time. Couple of handles as he lines up his target. Sinks another three. USA leads by 5 points. 

FRA 15-20 USA

Anthony Edwards goes for another three. But this time he fails to get the points. Bilal Coulibaly gets his first points with an easy 2. Two-point game now. 

Rudy Gober smokes a two to reduce the gap. Anthony Edwards reinstates USA’s control with a calculated three. And soon enough a timeout is taken by France. 

We are past the halfway mark in the first quarter. Tatum with a clever back pass to Lebron inside the D. But his shot skims off the rim. Curry makes space for a three. But his shot too bounces off the rim. Tatum finally breaks the mini deadlock with an easy dunk after a break. 

Lebron sinks a two and USA regains the lead. Curry leads USA on a break. He is fouled. Another turnover for USA. Durant inside the D. He too is fouled. French defence just about holds on. 

Wembanyama with a clean move and into the D. Finished off with a dunk and France takes the lead. 

Frank Ntilikina

Isaïa Cordinier 

Nicolas Batum 

Guerschon Yabusele 

Victor Wembanyama

Matches - 8

USA - 7

France - 1

France’s only win against USA came in the group stage of Tokyo Games. 

Blood stained the neckline of Victor Wembanyama’s jersey after France clinched a spot in the gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics, courtesy of a fresh cut on the left side of his neck. He did plenty of sweating during the game and was holding back tears when it was all over.

Blood, sweat and tears. How fitting.

“In our national anthem, we talk about blood,” Wembanyama said. “We’re willing to spill blood on the court. So, it’s no big deal. If it allows us to win gold, I’m offering. Take all of it.”

Wembanyama — NBA rookie of the year, No. 1 draft pick, already an international phenomenon — has a new accolade. He’s an Olympic medalist. The only question is whether it’ll be gold or silver, something that’ll be determined Saturday night in the final game of the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Games.

France has won three silvers in the event. The last of it came in 2021, when it lost to USA in the final in Tokyo. 

The USA has won 16 of the 20 Olympic gold medals in the men’s basketball event. 

It’s a game the French wanted. It’s a game the Americans probably expected. It’s a game the world most certainly will be watching. 

The U.S. vs. France. In Paris. For basketball gold. 

“Incredible,” U.S. forward Kevin Durant said of the storyline, one so good that only the boldest of script makers would dare to come up with such a final act. The showdown on Saturday night at the Paris Olympics is a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Games three years ago. 

The U.S. is seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal and 17th overall; the French are seeking their first gold after settling for silver at the 1948, 2000 and 2020 Olympics, losing the final to the Americans in each of those tournaments.

Welcome to Sportstar’s Live Blog of the men’s basketball final of Paris Olympics between USA and France.