An estimated one billion people across the globe count themselves as NBA fans, and the vast majority of those live outside of the United States. It’s safe to say that, at least for one day, none of those fans will be in France.
The USA men’s basketball team has been the greatest show in town since the Olympic team began stocking its roster with the best professional basketball players on the planet. No matter where, from Barcelona in 1992, to Tokyo in the last Olympiad, the U.S. has played in front of friendly crowds. Not this time.
The gold medal matchup is set, with Team USA going for its 17th Olympic championship in men’s basketball. The host nation, France, is hoping to win its first.
The unbeatable Americans looked very beatable in their semifinal game with Serbia, which is a country equally mad for basketball and mad for their superstar, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić. The Serbs led by as many as 17 points, and went into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead. But Jokić wasn’t the only MVP on the floor. Stephen Curry has two MVPs, four NBA championships, and thanks to the best performance for any of the Americans in these Olympic games, he is one win away from his first gold medal.
“That was a godlike performance,” said Kevin Durant of Curry’s 36 points. “Shot after shot, getting a steal and finishing with a layup, he was everywhere tonight. That was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen him play.”
Durant knows. He was a teammate of Curry’s for two NBA championships and one of his MVP seasons.
Curry, Durant, LeBron James (17 points, 12 rebounds), and the rest will need to stay hot against a French team that beat Germany in the other semifinal. France held the Germans to 40.3% shooting, and NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama had three more blocked shots, taking his tournament total to 10. He’s also averaging more than 10 rebounds per game, and he is one of four French players averaging in double figures in points.
The United States is favored by 16.5 points. But they failed to cover the same spread against Serbia, winning by only four. And with the French team feeding off the home crowd, this game may be a lot closer than the bookmakers have it.
France beat Canada and Germany, two medal favorites, and now they face Goliath for the biggest prize in international basketball.
Bronze Medal Matchup: Serbia vs. Germany
Jokić and the Serbian team have 48 hours to get over their lost lead to the United States, put aside what might have been, and get focused on winning the bronze medal. They are 2.5-point favorites to beat the Germans and win their second medal in men’s basketball. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio they were silver medalists, losing to the United States in the gold medal game, 96-66.
Germany, despite its history of sending great players to the NBA, has never medaled in men’s basketball. With a guarantee of fourth place, this is already their best Olympic showing. Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki played in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 (Germany finished 10th), and three-time All-Star Detlef Schrempf played in the 1984 and 1992 Olympics (Germany finished eighth).
This year’s German team features Franz Wagner, the eighth overall pick in 2021. He made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2022 with the Orlando Magic, and averaged 19.7 points per game last season.
Serbia vs. Germany and Jokić vs. Wagner is the first of two great games on Saturday to close out the men’s Olympic basketball tournament.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
