PARIS, France — North Carolina native Bam Adebayo scored 18 points as the U.S. men's basketball beat South Sudan to lock in a spot in the knockout stage at the Paris Olympics.
Team USA won 103-86 with big games from Adebayo, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards. The U.S. held a commanding 55-36 lead at halftime and cruised through the second half.
Charlotte native Steph Curry scored three points and had four assists in the win.
Team USA picked up a dominant win over Nikola Jokic and Serbia on Sunday to open the group stage.
Charlotte native Steph Curry scored 11 points in his Olympic debut against Serbia, including an epic 3-point basket with just 5 seconds to play. Dell Curry, the Charlotte Hornets broadcaster and father of Steph, told WCNC Charlotte's Ashley Stroehlein that playing in the Olympics and winning gold for the U.S. is the only thing missing from his son's illustrious career.
"He's done it all. He's got the MVP, he's got the titles and now to have that gold medal and be able to share that, it's going to be very special," Curry said. "That's the one thing that he's always talked about wanting to do. Things just didn't work out in the past where he wasn't able to do it, but this year the stars aligned."
Despite having arguably the most talented roster in Olympic basketball history, Curry said his son remains focused on taking it one game at a time.
"They have a goal in mind," he said. "He's still focused, I think winning championships is going to help him and the other guys stay focused, not taking any opponent lightly."
While Curry is one of the best shooters in basketball history, there were some concerns about his defense after South Sudan scored 100 points against the U.S. in this month's exhibition. To give you an idea of how big of an upset the U.S. avoided, they were 43.5-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Curry isn't the only Team USA player with North Carolina ties. Bam Adebayo, who went to high school in High Point, is also representing his home country in Paris. Adebayo scored 4 points in Sunday's win over Serbia.
The United States is looking for a historic fifth straight gold medal in men's basketball. The U.S. will face Puerto Rico in its final game of group play on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on WCNC Charlotte.
WCNC Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with news that impacts you from the team at WCNC Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeart
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.