USA survives huge Olympic men's basketball scare as NBA superstars pull off comeback

With the United States and Serbia meeting in the Olympic Games on Thursday, one of the most thrilling international basketball games in recent memory offered both a berth to the gold medal game and a testament to Stephen Curry's global impact on the sport.

The two teams combined for 70 three-point attempts from Paris' Bercy Arena and, fittingly, the aging Curry stole the show one last time. The Golden State Warriors icon nailed his eighth three of the game flying off a pindown screen with 2:24 remaining, giving the United States their first lead since the first quarter, pairing with Joel Embiid and LeBron James to erase a 16-point deficit and help Team USA escape disaster with a 95-91 win.

Curry was just as dominant early, scoring all five of the United States' first field goals and single-handedly keeping pace with a talented Serbian roster full of superstars. However, it quickly became apparent that, even with the world's most talented roster on the other end, there's no slowing down an offense that runs through Nikola Jokic .

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The reigning MVP terrorized Team USA's rotation of centers and scrambling defensive approach, scoring 17 points, dishing out 11 assists and exploiting this constant American attention. Early in the fourth quarter, Jokic's teammates were shooting a blistering 15-27 clip from long range, and a collectively turnover-averse outing helped Serbia control much of the action.

Jokic's Balkan co-star, Bogdan Bogdanovic, led the Serbs with 20 points on the evening, and his jumper seconds before the first intermission gave the underdogs a surprising 31-23 edge. Another dominant sequence from Jokic saw the Serbians forge their largest lead of the night minutes later as he rejected a James layup attempt, drew a foul on Devin Booker and converted through contact to give his nation a 42-25 advantage.

Joel Embiid replied with an immediate basket, beginning a crucial American counterpunch to Jokic's interior scoring. The Cameroonian-born center began the afternoon as questionable with foot soreness but exited as an emphatic American hero, finishing with 19 points on 8-11 shooting while offering a palpable jolt of energy.

Seven late second-half points from Embiid whittled Serbia's lead down to 11 at halftime, and Team USA continued to chip away at their deficit despite lacking scoring contributions from many key players. Anthony Edwards , who led the United States recently with 31 points against Puerto Rico, managed to convert just a lone basket on Thursday, while Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton once again did not see the floor.

Instead, Curry continued to champion a remarkable scoring burden for the United States, with his 36-point scoring total finishing just one shy of Carmelo's all-time scoring records. He and LeBron combined for 15 of the USA's 32 fourth-quarter points, with Embiid and all-time leading scorer Kevin Durant also offering key contributions, and Curry would nail a pair of clutch free throws in the closing seconds to ice the American victory.