Team USA stared down a shocking elimination in the face on Wednesday in Paris. The Americans found themselves trailing by as many as 17 and trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter against a tough and talented Serbia team. They needed to dig deep in order to get the job done.

The Americans relied on their defense and a steady diet of Joel Embiid to rally and defeat Serbia 95-91 to advance to the gold medal game on Saturday. Embiid had 19 points with seven coming in a critical stretch in the fourth as he made big contributions in this one.

The Americans were led by Steph Curry who delivered a vintage Curry game with 36 points and he knocked down nine triples. He, Embiid, and LeBron James were the driving forces in earning the win.

Afterward, Anthony Davis singled out Embiid and Curry as the reasons why Team USA picked up the win.

 

As exhilarating as this win was for Team USA, they now face a big challenge: host country France. A lot will be riding on that game for Embiid who spurned France in order to play for Team USA in these Olympics and he has drawn the ire of the French fans everywhere he has gone.