Team USA Stephen Curry Morphs into Warriors Version

Although it took Team USA until the fourth quarter to seize momentum against Serbia, Stephen Curry appeared ready out of the gate. Curry scored 17 points in the first quarter, as Team USA mustered 23 points. Serbia dominated early, leading by as many as 17 points, which marked Team USA's highest deficit of the 2024 Olympics.

Curry scored 36 points on 12-19 shooting from the field in a timely performance.

The Golden State Warriors superstar took advantage of the shortened three-point line in FIBA rules and kept the Serbian defenders sliding to contest the array of shots from deep. While Curry isn't the sole reason for Team USA clinching a spot in the gold medal game, he played the catalyst for a slow-starting squad.

LeBron James and Joel Embiid followed Curry's lead as Team USA used a 24-8 run to take a 91-86 lead with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter. Once Team USA took the lead, Serbia's fatigue displayed itself in questionable shot attempts.

Curry sealed the game by scoring seven points in the last 2:30 of the game, closing the door on Serbia 95-91.

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Although Team USA won the game, it's quite worrisome how hard it was to fight against Serbia, especially considering the Nikola Jokic-led roster only has two NBA players.

Nonetheless, Curry gave Team USA a much-needed punch as Serbia did its best to advance to the gold medal game.

It's not typical for an Olympics contest to match an NBA game regarding individual scoring. However, Curry's finding a way to channel his Warriors' performance into a different style of game speaks to his greatness. Team USA will play against Victor Wembanyama and Team France in the gold medal game on Saturday.