‘Avalanche came’: Curry dazzles late as US beat France for Olympic basketball gold

The rest of the world may be catching up, but the USA men’s basketball team still rule the Olympics after beating France in front of a raucous home crowd in Paris to claim gold on Saturday night.

The French, led by the most talented young player in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama, had hopes of toppling the Americans, especially after the US had a narrow escape against Serbia in the semi-final. But the US are packed with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant and were too strong on the night.

Curry drained a series of three-pointers late in the game as the French threatened a comeback. He was 8 for 13 from three on the night as he led the US with 24 points. Wembanyama was France’s top-scorer with 26.

After the game, Curry said he had initially struggled with his shooting on the night but then “the rhythm, the avalanche came.”

The US have now won gold at eight of the last nine Olympics, with the sole aberration coming in 2004 in Athens. The US women’s team, who are even more dominant than the men, go for gold in their final on Sunday.

Full report to follow…