U.S. men's basketball rallies past Serbia, will play host France for gold medal

PARIS — Kevin Durant and Devin Booker hit consecutive 3-pointers on the same possession Thursday, sparking a massive fourth quarter American rally and an eventual 95-91 semifinal victory over Serbia.

Durant’s first long-range shot with 7:19 left in regulation pulled the Americans to within 78-70, giving the U.S. a spark of life that had been missing all night at Bercy Arena. And as he was launching the jumper, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic fouled Anthony Davis. Possession stayed with the Americans and momentum swung when Booker connected moments later.

Steph Curry rattled home a 3-pointer with 2:24 left to put the United States, which trailed by as much as 17 points, ahead 87-86 — a lead it would not relinquish.

Curry and LeBron James followed with back-to-back fast-break layups and the Americans never looked back. Curry led all scorers with 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the floor.

Serbian star Nikola Jokic, a former NBA MVP, added 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in defeat.

The U.S. will play France for the gold medal on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. ET.

Serbia will play Germany for the bronze medal on Saturday at 11 a.m. local time, 5 a.m. ET.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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