Team USA wins the gold medal in men’s basketball, defeating France in a thriller

Paris (CNN) —& The USA men’s basketball team on Saturday& won its fifth straight Olympic gold medal, defeating a spirited French team 98-87. Behind Stephen Curry’s 24 points,& the Americans finally put away France& in the final minute after a back-and-forth game& that thrilled the fans at Paris’ Bercy Arena. Going into the fourth quarter, the Americans had seen a 14-point lead shrink to six. That lead narrowed still in the fourth quarter, with the French getting it down to three at one point with only minutes to play. “We just kept our composure,” LeBron James said after the game. “We have been in some tight games throughout the preliminary games, and we had a tight game against Serbia so we knew we were going to get everybody’s biggest punch, so it was all about staying composed and willing our way to victory.” And it was Curry who took over. With four massive, dagger threes in the final minutes, the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history capped off his first ever Olympics with a vintage performance that had the French team reeling. It was a disappointing end to a terrific tournament for the host nation, which had defeated Canada and...