The time has come. USA. France. Gold.

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Today’s Lineup

Olympic Semifinals

Team USA comes back from down 17 to beat Serbia 95-91 and advance to gold medal game

Just days after everyone was calling this iteration of Team USA the greatest basketball team of all time, they were put up against their greatest test yet: Nikola Jokic.

The Americans looked like a completely different team in the first half of this game than they have all tournament, as the Serbians jumped out to a 31-20 lead by the end of the first quarter and extended that lead to 11 by the end of the first half. The Joker was wining and dining and it seemed like the USA’s Olympic basketball dynasty may have been about to falter.

But then, LeBron James happened. After falling into a 17-point hole early in the third, the Americans kicked it into gear and surged into the lead by the fourth quarter on the back of LBJ, who recorded just the fourth triple-double in Olympic basketball history with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists. Steph Curry also had an incredible game, pouring in 36 points of his own, and Team USA’s comeback would’ve been incomplete if it hadn’t have been for Kevin Durant’s fourth-quarter magic and Joel Embiid’s efficient scoring night (19 points, 8-11 shooting) as well. Onto the gold medal match!

France does away with Germany in 73-69 semifinal win

The France-Germany matchup earlier in the day yesterday didn’t have nearly the amount of flair that Serbia-USA did, but it was just as entertaining of a game to watch. Germany came out of the gate hot, but France responded in the second quarter to tie the game at 33 apiece at the break.

And with Victor Wembanyama (11 points, seven rebounds, three blocks) and former Boston Celtic Guerschon Yabusele (17 points, seven rebounds) at the helm, the French put the Germans away in the second half to the tune of a four-point win. Germany had won twelve consecutive international matches (dating back to last year’s FIBA World Cup) before yesterday’s game against France, which makes the 2024 host nation’s win all the more impressive.

Now, it all comes down to tomorrow’s rematch of the 2021 Olympic gold medal game. Get hype!

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Around the NBA

Markkanen, Jazz reach five-year $238 million contract agreement

After a summer full of trade speculation, the Jazz put all the rumors to bed and signed All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen to an extension that includes a restructuring of his contract for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Markkanen, who won Most Improved Player and made his first All-Star Game in 2023, averaged just over 23 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz last year.

The sweet (maybe salty?) Utah air has brought the best out of Lauri’s three-point shooting—after shooting 36% on six three-point attempts before joining the Jazz, Markkanen has averaged over 39% from three on almost eight attempts per game in two years in Utah.

2010s legend Jeremy Lamb announces retirement

Jeremy Lamb might not be a name you’re very familiar with, especially if you’re under a certain age. But he was the pinnacle of “2010s role-player vibes”, an aura we’ll always hold near and dear to our hearts.

Lamb started out his career with Oklahoma City and made stops in Charlotte, Indiana, and Sacramento before joining the Kings’ G League roster and eventually suffering a brutal ankle injury earlier this year. His 2018-19 season in Charlotte was by far his most successful, as the wing averaged 15.3 points and started in 55 of Charlotte’s games.

Oh, and he had one of the most legendary regular season buzzer-beaters of ALL TIME that year. Rest easy, Jeremy!

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for sticking with us through this exciting week of Olympic basketball! We couldn’t be more excited for the gold medal game tomorrow, and we hope you share some of that enthusiasm. Talk soon!

-Austin Zeglis