On August 11, the Olympic men’s basketball final saw the United States against host nation France.
The game started with both teams fiercely competing, France had a good start and took the lead, but the United States immediately responded with a 5-0 run. However, France’s offense remained strong, and the two sides were evenly matched. Later, France brought in Gobert, while the United States substituted Edwards, Tatum, and others. Tatum came in with an impressive fast-break dunk, which Gobert answered with a dunk of his own, followed by a three-pointer from Edwards.
At the end of the first quarter, the United States led France 20-15.
In the second quarter, the situation changed dramatically as France went on a 10-2 run to take the lead and force a timeout from the United States. However, Curry hit back with a three-pointer, and Adebayo added a two-handed dunk, allowing the United States to retake the lead. Following this, the more powerful United States began to assert their dominance, with Durant hitting a three-pointer to gradually extend the lead. Despite France’s resilience, with Yabusele completing a 2+1 play over James, the United States maintained their composure and continued to widen the gap to double digits. Although Wenbanayama managed to narrow the gap with a putback, Holiday responded with another three-pointer, and Yabusele hit a buzzer-beater.
At half-time, the United States led France 49-41.