The semifinal games in the 2024 Paris Olympics for men's basketball were epic, so expectations are sky-high for the gold medal game. France won a thriller over Germany before the United States completed an epic comeback that saw them narrowly edge out Serbia. Now, the two teams will play each other and try to write their names in the history books.
The Team USA vs. France battle for gold is right around the corner, so in this article, we will explain how you can watch the final basketball game of the Olympic Games.
When is the gold medal game?
The United States will take on France in the championship round on Saturday, Aug. 10. Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m. ET, which equates to 9:30 p.m. in local Paris time. The game will take place at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. The arena has been lively during the knockout stages, and things will only be amped up going forward.
How to watch Team USA vs. France
NBC is broadcasting the entirety of the Olympics. You can also stream the gold medal game with fuboTV or Peacock. Additionally, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics app will have the game.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 10 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bercy Arena — Paris, France
TV channel: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
France storylines
France vs. the United States will be a rematch of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Of course, the United States walked away as champions that go around, as France had to settle for a silver medal. There are a couple of things that are now on France's side that they didn't have in Tokyo, though.
Firstly, France is the host country of these Olympics, so they will have the crowd on their side. Secondly, Victor Wembanyama, France's best player, wasn't on the roster back in 2021. While the United States does have a stacked roster, Wembanyama is the type of player who can wreck a team's game plan.
France's semifinal victory over Germany was iconic. They won the game by a score of 73-69, but it wasn't settled until the end. It actually wasn't Wembanyama who had the best game in that battle, though. Guerschon Yabusele led the team in scoring with 17 points. Isaia Cordinier stepped up big, too, as he added 16 points.
The surprising thing about France's Olympic run is their most accomplished player, Rudy Gobert, has been glued to the bench in the team's last two games. As the team has looked for more offense and spacing, Gobert has had to sacrifice, and it has worked. The big man does have plenty of experience against all of the NBA players on the United States roster, though.
Team USA deploys three superstar centers in Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Davis, so it will be interesting if France does put Gobert back in the rotation in an effort to take some of the defensive burden off of Wembanyama's shoulders.
United States storylines
The gold medal game has huge expectations, considering the semifinal round featured two classic games. Somehow, the United States game was even more memorable than France's victory. Serbia led nearly the entire game. They were even up by as many as 17-points, as the team was unconscious from three-point range. Bogdan Bogdanovic, in particular, seemingly couldn't miss.
The United States persevered, though, and avoided what would have been one of the biggest upsets in sports and Olympic history. The team largely has Stephen Curry to thank for that. Curry shot 9-14 from deep en route to scoring 36 points. It was one of the best performances in Team USA history.
While players like Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant have led the way to this point, it was only a matter of time until Curry was going to explode for a huge game. Now, fans wonder who will step up in the gold medal game.
Joel Embiid is one candidate. The center is not only a United States citizen but a French citizen as well. His decision to play for Team USA instead of France has led to French fans booing him all Olympics long. Embiid was the United States second best player against Serbia. He had 19 points in his own right, and he has seemingly embraced the boos that have rained down from French fans.
James' performance against Serbia was also noteworthy. The basketball legend had a 16 point, 12 rebound, 10 assist triple-double, which is a rare feet in Olympic play. The United States clearly have the talent to win their 17th gold medal, and they will be favored to beat France. The French team can't be underestimated, though. Team USA narrowly beat France back in the 2020 Olympics by just a score of 87-82.
So, will the United States add yet another gold medal to their collection, or will France spoil the American's plans in their home country and accomplish their revenge story from the Tokyo Olympics?
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