USA Vs. France: What To Expect In Gold Medal Matchup

The 2024 Paris Olympic basketball tournament will conclude on Saturday, with Team USA and France playing for gold.

USA overcame a 17-point deficit to get the semifinal win against Serbia on Thursday. The "Big Three" of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were heroic in the fourth quarter, combining for 22 points down the stretch. Joel Embiid put on the greatest show of his Olympic career, netting 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and a pair of threes.

There's no reason to suggest that these Team USA stars can't provide an encore. James has brought his best in all five of the team's games, and The King has delivered whenever he's been needed. He's scored at least 10-plus points in each appearance.

Durant, (the new all-time Olympic scoring leader) is ready to bounce back after netting only nine points against Serbia. Curry's 36 points (9-of-14 from three) in the semifinal, is enough to assume that he'll also draw much of the attention early in Saturday's matchup.

After an inspiring 73-69 win against Germany on Thursday, France is looking to swipe the title in front of the home crowd. They are going to try and win the defensive battle, led by Victor Wembanyama, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert who gathered a combined four blocks and two steals in the semifinal.

Look for the USA to try and find an early rhythm, or they could find themselves in big trouble for the second-straight game. France will undoubtedly be playing with a ton of heart, and will be fired up as the home underdog.

The game tips at 3:30 EST, and will air on Peacock.