The US men’s basketball team nearly suffered a huge upset on Thursday night when they narrowly escaped defeat to Serbia in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics.
The team, led by LeBron James, Stephen Curry and a host of NBA All-Stars, was expected to win another Olympic title, even though the rest of the world has increasingly caught up with the Americans in recent years.
Instead, they nearly fell to a team led by the best player in the world, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić. Serbia led 76-63 at the start of the final quarter and the U.S. struggled to recover.
Before the Paris Games, the US had won gold at eight of the last 10 Games, with their last failure coming in 2004, when they won bronze.
Curry and James were the heroes for the US in their 95-91 victory, with James recording a triple-double while Curry scored 36 points.
The US will play France in the final after the home team defeated Germany 73-69 in front of a delirious home crowd in the other semi-final.
NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama suffered a cut to his neck late in the game, leaving him covered in blood.
“In our anthem we talk about blood,” Wembanyama said after the game. “We are willing to shed blood on the field. So it’s not a big deal. If it allows us to win gold, I offer it. Take it all.”
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