PARIS, France — Steph Curry patiently waited for his Olympic moment. And when opportunity knocked, Curry answered the door with an outstanding fourth quarter to carry Team USA to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics by defeating France 98-87.
Curry made four 3-pointers in the final 2:43, including the one that just sealed the win with 1:19 remaining. It put the U.S. up 93-84 and he skipped down the court letting out a yell, shaking his jersey so everyone could see the “USA” across the front.
If that wasn't enough, one more followed with about 30 seconds left — with the “go to sleep” move where he puts his hands on the side of his face.
Good night. Game over. Gold won. Again.
"This was a test," Curry told NBC after the game. "You knew they weren't going to quit, they threw everything at us."
Curry finished the game with 24 points. France's Victor Wembanyama put up a valiant effort, scoring a game-high 26, but it wasn't enough to overcome Team USA's All-Star lineup.
"The avalanche came and thankfully the other 3 went in," Curry said. "That was an unbelievable moment. I've been playing at high level for a long time. This ranks very high in terms of the excitement and sense of relief getting to the finish line."
After a close first quarter, the U.S. started to pull away through the middle frames. France made it close several times, but every time the game got too close for comfort, Curry and LeBron James had an answer. It culminated with Curry clinching the gold in the final minutes.
For Curry, winning a gold medal was the final accomplishment of his legendary career.
"It is special," Curry said. "I knew two years ago, when we (Golden State) won our last championship that this was on the horizon. These last five weeks with this group have been nothing but '1-2-3 Gold.' That's all we've been saying. For me to get a gold medal is insane and I thank God for the opportunity to experience it."
Curry's father, Dell, said competing in the Olympics is all he's been talking about for years. Despite being part of the U.S. national team in 2010 and 2014, Curry hadn't represented his home country until the Paris Games.
"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," Dell Curry said before the Olympic tournament began. "That's the one thing that he always talked about wanting to do."
Bam Adebayo, who attended high school in High Point, North Carolina, finished the game with 2 points. This is Adebayo's second gold medal, as he was also part of the championship team in Tokyo.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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