Watch: Travis Scott & Quavo fire up fans as Team USA takes down Serbia in a nail-biter
The stars came out on Thursday to catch two powerhouse teams, USA and Serbia, slug it out in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics Men's Basketball games. Among those high-profile spectators were hip-hop stars Travis Scott and Quavo, who were both fired up even before the action got underway.
The two were captured on a video sitting courtside at the Bercy Arena hyping up the crowd while singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the United States girded for its high-stakes showdown against Serbia.
The semifinal clash between Team USA and Serbia turned out to be a nail-biter and an instant classic, with the Americans fashioning an impressive charge to pull the rug from under the Serbians in the fourth quarter and win, 95-91.
Nikola Jokić and the Serbian squad got off to a solid start despite a scoring explosion from Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry. They took the opening quarter, 31-23.
They would continue to lead in the next two quarters, holding a 13-point advantage over Team USA as they entered the fourth quarter, 73-65.
Team USA went on a 14-11 run in the first five minutes of the final canto, to narrow the gap down to 84-79. A minute and a half later, it pulled even, 84-all, off a driving layup by LeBron James.
The Americans continued to pour it on after, going on an 11-7 run—led by Curry, James and Kevin Durant—to complete the comeback and earn a spot in the Olympic finals.
Curry led all scorers with 36 points, going 9-of-14 from deep. Joel Embiid had 19 points, while James finished with a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
For Serbia, it was Bogdan Bogdanović who led with 20 points, while Jokić contributed 17 points and 11 assists.
Team USA faces host France in Olympic finals
Following a hard-earned semifinal victory, Team USA is shifting its focus to host France, who they will face in the finals on Saturday, August 10.
The Americans remain undefeated in the ongoing tournament. They topped Group C with a 3-0 record before dominating Brazil in the quarterfinals, 122-87.
LA Lakers star LeBron James is leading the charge for Team USA with all-around numbers of 14.2 points, 8.2 assists, seven rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.
France, meanwhile, booked a spot in the finals after defeating world champion Germany, 73-69, in their own semifinal clash.
The host squad finished group play with a 2-1 record in Group B then got the better of Canada in the quarterfinals, 82-73.
Victor Wembanyama, NBA Rookie of the Year and the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, is averaging a double-double for France in the tournament with 13.8 points and 10.2 rebounds, along with two blocks per game.