Steph Curry, US men's basketball fend off France to win 5th straight gold

FIBA named LeBron James as the men's basketball MVP of the 2024 Olympics tournament.

Here's how the 39-year-old fared in each game:

• vs. Serbia: 21 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, one steal
• vs. South Sudan: 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal
• vs. Puerto Rico: 10 points, eight assists, six rebounds, one block
• vs. Brazil: 12 points, nine assists, three rebounds, three steals
• vs. Serbia: 16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal
• vs. France: 14 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block

Team USA men's basketball is golden for five straight Olympics.

The U.S. beat France 98-87 in the gold medal game Friday in what was a tightly contested match -- until Steph Curry called his shot.

Curry hit four straight threes down the stretch, including a stunning heave, to close the door shut on a potential France comeback. He ended the game with 24 points on 8 of 14 shots overall, with 8 of 13 coming from deep.

Victor Wembanyama led France with 26 points, but there wasn't enough support from elsewhere.

The U.S. had also beat France 87-82 in the Tokyo gold medal game.

The U.S. took a 61-47 lead during the third quarter, but France did not let things worsen from there.

Instead, France cut it to single digits and trailed 72-66 entering the fourth. Nando de Colo took advantage of a sloppy pass, which led to a Kevin Durant goaltend at the buzzer.

Devin Booker still led the U.S. in scoring with 13, while LeBron James and Steph Curry got up to 12. Durant added 10.

Evan Fournier also came alive for France after a scoreless first half, dropping eight points off the bench. Victor Wembanyama led Les Bleus with 20 points.

Steph Curry is still on fire from deep, knocking down four of his first eight 3-point attempts in the final.

The four-time NBA champion is coming off a 36-point semifinal where he drilled 9 of 14 shots from long range.

The intensity increased in the second quarter, but the U.S. took a double-digit lead toward the end.

It ended 49-41 in favor of the U.S. after France's Guerschon Yabusele hit a buzzer-beating layup over Anthony Davis.

Devin Booker led the U.S. with 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, while LeBron James had seven points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant each hit two 3-pointers.

Yabusele led France with 15 points after a dominant quarter, including an and-1 poster dunk on James. Victor Wembanyama added 13 points despite sitting for most of the second.

Joel Embiid did not play in the second after starting the game, with Bam Adebayo seeing the majority of minutes at the 5.

LeBron James was on the wrong end of a poster dunk in the second quarter as he attempted to take a charge. Guerschon Yabusele found an opening in Team USA's defense and rose up for a thunderous jam over James, who was called for a blocking foul as well.

Yabusele, the 16th overall pick of the Boston Celtics in 2016 who's been out of the NBA for several years, has impressed for France during these Games.

Team USA and France are battling in the men's gold medal game on NBC and Peacock. You can stream the game live here:

Watch Men's Basketball Live: USA vs. France in Gold Medal Game

The first quarter got off to a rampant start with quick bucket exchanges, but it slowed as time progressed.

Team USA took a 20-15 lead as Devin Booker led the starters with seven points, capitalizing off smart off-ball movements. Anthony Edwards added six off the bench with two 3-pointers, while Jayson Tatum also logged minutes after blanking in the semifinal against Serbia.

Victor Wembanyama led France with seven points on 3 of 6 shooting.

It's been a thrilling start to the gold medal game, with six lead changes in the opening eight minutes. The U.S. has seven assists on seven buckets for a 17-13 lead.

Devin Booker leads the way with seven points, while LeBron James has made several highlight-reel plays.

Jayson Tatum, who didn't play in Team USA's semifinal victory over Serbia, checked into the game with the Americans holding a 12-11 lead with over four minutes left in the first quarter.

Tatum quickly got on the scoresheet with a breakaway dunk.

The gold medal game is underway at Bercy Arena. The first points of the Olympic final came on a LeBron James dunk, but France quickly responded with a 3-pointer from Victor Wembanyama.

U.S. star LeBron James was seen on the court rocking a new variant of the "LeBron 22" sneaker.

Team USA's LeBron James and France's Victor Wembanyama were the first two players out on the court.

Both were seen putting up warm-up shots on each side of the floor in preparation for the gold medal.

Team USA and France have faced off for gold in men's basketball three other times prior to Paris: 1948, 2000, 2021.

The Americans are 3-0 over the French, with the last win being an 87-82 score line in Tokyo.

But the U.S. didn't have LeBron James, Steph Curry and Anthony Davis, among others, that year. Les Bleus' main absentee was Victor Wembanyama, who was rising in France at the time.

Team USA is in the building.

Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Anthony Davis and more could be seen entering Bercy Arena ahead of the Team USA vs. France gold medal game.

Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. PT.

Team USA men's and women's basketball have done the double in several previous Olympic Games.

The double, which in this instance means both the men's and women's teams win gold in a respective competition, can be a rare occurrence.

It's not in basketball, though, due to the Americans' typical dominance in both the men's and women's fields.

This year, though, France has a chance, too: The U.S. faces France in both the men's and women's gold medal games.

It's the first time in Olympic history both gold medal basketball games will feature the same teams.