PARIS, France — Kevin Durant lauded Stephen Curry’s remarkable 36-point performance as “God-like” after the United States secured a thrilling 95-91 comeback win over Serbia in the Olympic basketball semifinals on Thursday.
Curry was instrumental in keeping the U.S. team afloat as Serbia dominated the first three quarters, leading by 13 points heading into the final period at Bercy Arena.
The U.S. team outscored Serbia 32-15 in the last 10 minutes, securing a spot in Saturday’s final against host nation France, a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Games three years ago.
“Steph, man that was a God-like 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.”
Curry wasn’t the only standout as Joel Embiid contributed crucial baskets, finishing with 19 points, and played a key role in putting Serbia’s Nikola Jokic into foul trouble late in the game.
“He showed why he’s one of the greatest ever to touch a basketball,” Durant said of Embiid.
A stunning five-minute surge at the start of the fourth quarter brought the U.S. back into contention before the team took control of the game.
“We tried not to get too discouraged. Late in the third quarter, they hit us pretty hard… but we just kept pushing. We were able to pressure them, get them to miss shots, and we were out on the break,” Durant added.
LeBron James, who contributed 16 points, described the win as one of the greatest in his illustrious 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.”
James, who is aiming for his third Olympic gold, acknowledged that the upcoming final against France will be no less challenging.
“Super competitive. Obviously, this is Wemby’s (Victor Wembanyama) first Olympics, but that team has been playing together for quite a while,” he noted.
“They’ve been feeding off the crowd, so we look forward to that match-up.”