Steph meets the moment, carries US to cage finals against France
PARIS—Kevin Durant called Stephen Curry’s 36-point effort in the United States’ 95-91 win over Serbia a “godlike performance” as the four-time reigning Olympic champions pulled off an exhilarating fourth quarter comeback Thursday.
Curry kept the United States in the game as Serbia dominated through the first three quarters and threatened a semifinal upset, leading by 13 going into the final period at Bercy Arena.
The Americans outscored Serbia, 32-15, over the last 10 minutes to set up a blockbuster final with host France on Saturday, a repeat of the gold medal match three years ago in Tokyo.
“Steph, man, that was a godlike performance, because he felt like he was struggling throughout the whole tournament,” said Durant, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. “We always said, ‘Each night it could be somebody different.’ And tonight he showed up.”
“Shot after shot, getting a steal at the end, finishing with the layup. He was everywhere tonight. It was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen him play.”
While Durant described it as one of the best games he had ever seen Curry play, the four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors shrugged off his personal contribution to the victory, saying his performance was merely what the game called for.
Still confident
“I haven’t had many opportunities and haven’t shot the ball well the whole tournament,” said the 36-year-old Curry. “But it doesn’t waver your confidence to meet the moment.
“You live for those moments, and doesn’t matter if you shoot three times or however many I shot tonight.”
Curry, who went 9-for-14 three-point shots against the Serbs, said the United States would need to dominate early in the final against France for a chance at gold.
“I know they’re going to feed off their home energy,” Curry said of France, which beat Germany, 73-69, earlier.
Curry didn’t do it alone as Joel Embiid hit a series of clutch shots and finished with 19 points.
Booed all tournament long, Embiid helped seal the deal and prime himself for a scintillating showdown against the very country he spurned for the US.
“He showed why he’s one of the greatest ever to touch a basketball,” Durant said of Embiid, who helped put Nikola Jokic in foul trouble down the stretch.
LeBron James, who had 16 points, ranked the win as one of the greatest in his record-breaking career.
“It’s up there,” said the 39-year-old. “I don’t know how many opportunities and moments I’m going to get like this to be able to compete for something, compete for something big and play in big games, and tonight was a big game.”
