Stephen Curry praised the United States' "no quit" attitude after proving the hero in their thrilling comeback victory over Serbia in the Olympics semi-final.
Serbia entered the fourth quarter of the game with a 13-point lead, but a stunning late comeback from the USA, who have won gold in each of the last four Olympics, instead saw them prevail 95-91.
Curry starred for Team USA, scoring 36 points, the second-highest scoring game by an individual in the team's Olympic history, and his two free throws in the dying seconds ensured Serbia were unable to force any more drama.
And Curry explained how the lure of a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal spurred them to avoid the shock defeat.
"We talked about it the whole way, all summer," he said. "No matter how it looked, we were going to be challenged at some point.
"Outside of the exhibition series we had a pretty smooth road. Serbia are tough. They're a great team.
"Playing them three times, it's always hard to beat a team that many times, so to come back the way we did was amazing.
"We have no quit, and we know how much this means to win a gold medal with this group and the moment we have in front of us.
"Obviously, I hit the big three, but our defence carried us. Defence wins games in any league, especially in FIBA, so it was pretty special."
Serbia at one point held a 17-point lead in the first half, with NBA MVP Nikola Jokic getting 17 points and 11 assists, though they floundered in the closing stages.
While Curry took most of the headlines, LeBron James made his mark too, tying the game at 84-84 with four minutes remaining.
He got 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to finish with a triple-double, becoming the first player ever to complete the feat twice at the Olympics.
He echoed Curry's sentiments on Serbia's strength, noting how that helped to get the best out of the USA.
"Give a lot of credit to Serbia," James said. "They gave us everything they had.
"It's a great team. They played exceptionally well. They tested us and we needed that."
The USA will face hosts France in the gold-medal match on Saturday.
Raheem Sterling says playing for England is "one of the best feelings you can ever have", admitting he misses representing his national side.
The winger last played for England in the 2022 World Cup, coming off the bench in their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France.
Since then, he has failed to make the last seven squads in a row, including the party for Euro 2024 which saw the Three Lions reach a second consecutive European Championship final.
Gareth Southgate resigned following their defeat to Spain in that final, with Under-21 boss Lee Carsley expected to be in charge for the upcoming Nations League matches in September, with no permanent successor appointed yet.
Sterling, who has earned 82 caps for England since making his debut in 2012, admitted he misses representing his country and is hopeful of regaining his place soon.
"Of course [I miss it], I love playing for England. It is one of the best feelings you can ever have," Sterling said.
"To see the boys out there brought me joy. To be honest, they were the only games I watched - the England ones. I love playing for England.
"I am looking forward to getting back in the England set-up, that is for sure."
Sterling was told by then-manager Southgate earlier this year that he faced a fight to regain his place due to Chelsea's underachievement in the last two seasons since he joined from Manchester City.
Under new manager Enzo Maresca, the 30-year-old played in all five of their pre-season friendlies, scoring once and assisting once, and he is hoping the Italian will be key to getting back to top form.
"[Maresca can get the] best out of me, the best out of the team," he added. "He has come in and stamped his authority, the way he wants to play.
"Yes, some of the results haven't been pleasing but, with the ball, the right information is getting passed on. You can see the patterns coming through.
"It is early days so you can see where we're looking to go. It is a learning process for the whole group and one we are grasping really quickly.
"The Premier League is coming along very soon, so I do think there are good times ahead."
Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Canadian Open with a straight-sets defeat to Elise Mertens in the second round on Thursday.
The Belgian held her nerve for her second win over Osaka this year, beating her 6-3 6-4 in Toronto to set up a meeting with Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16.
Osaka was caught out by making errors from the baseline and failed to gain any momentum as her preparation for the US Open took a hit with her early exit.
Despite the defeat, the former world number one remained upbeat about her performance as she looks to build on this result.
"I feel like I could have put a bit more on the court, a bit more from the baseline shots," Osaka said. "I got a bit caught up in the idea of being consistent and staying in the exchanges, I don't know.
"I'm happy with how I fought despite not winning, but I feel like I learned a lot.
"Unfortunately, I have always suffered a lot from my perfectionism, and I also tend to doubt myself a lot, but I think it's necessary to go through this process and have tough losses from which you can learn a lot about yourself.
"I know there will be many tough defeats like this one, but hopefully, I hope to be back in the top ten soon."
Data Debrief: Fight fizzles out
Osaka struggled to gain a foothold in the match, losing her serve four times while only earning two breaks in return.
She won just 37% of her second serve points (10/27) and failed to win more than two games in a row as Mertens edged out of her reach.
Captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi were the picks for South Africa as the hosts patiently ground out 344-8 after day two of their Test against West Indies.
After a heavily interrupted first day that saw just 15 overs played, both sides took a slower approach at Queens Park Oval on Thursday.
De Zorzi, who started the day on 32, was up to 78 by lunch as the Proteas steadily added to their figures before he was dismissed by Jomel Warrican (3-66).
Tristan Stubbs (20) and Ryan Rickelton (19) were both left frustrated by Kemar Roach (2-53), though Bavuma managed to add some gloss, hitting 86 off 182 balls, including seven fours, before Jaylen Seales took him (2-57).
Despite a slow start, West Indies conceded only 20 runs in 12 overs against Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder before the former was taken by Jomel Warrican, who also got Keshav Maharaj for a duck.
South Africa managed to avoid a shaky end to the day, with Mulder's 37 not out helping them edge towards the 350 mark ahead of the third day.
Data Debrief: Proteas show patience
De Zorzi scored just his second half-century for Proteas, getting it against the same opponents as his first when he scored his career-best 85 at Centurion in January.
West Indies struggled with the ball for large parts, something they will want to improve on day three, though Roach's two wickets took him to 272 in Test cricket.
The Rugby Championship is back.
All eyes will be on the Southern Hemisphere's finest throughout six matchdays in August and September, with the tournament returning to a full 12-game format after the 2023 edition was shortened due to the Rugby World Cup.
South Africa broke New Zealand's hearts in the final of that tournament in France, and now they are hoping to end the All Blacks' four-year streak of victories in this competition.
The two favourites have been kept apart on the opening matchday, and both will be desperate to avoid any slip-ups on matchday one, as the Springboks go to Australia and New Zealand entertain Argentina.
Here, we run through the best Opta stats ahead of this weekend's action, picking out the players to watch in each contest.
AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA
The action gets under way at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane as Australia host the world champions, who are targeting a third straight Test win against the Wallabies following triumphs in the last two editions of the Rugby Championship.
They only won two of their previous eight versus Australia (two draws, four losses) and last enjoyed a longer winning run against them between September 2012 and September 2013 (three matches).
With the Wallabies starting a period of transition under new head coach Joe Schmidt, Rassie Erasmus' men go in as handy favourites to follow up their 24-8 victory in Australia two years ago. They last won back-to-back Tests in Australia in July 1993.
The Springboks have won 13 of their last 15 Tests, their only two defeats in that time coming against Ireland, while their 10.8 offloads per game are the most of any Tier One nation in Tests this year.
They always bring plenty of physicality, boasting the only three Tier One players to make 10 or more carries into contact while managing a dominant carry rate of 70% or better this year, namely Ben-Jason Dixon (83%), Lukhanyo Am (82%) and Makazole Mapimpi (79%). However, the latter duo are absent from their matchday one selection.
Erasmus will be warning his side against any complacency, however, given Australia have won their last four Test matches including all three to be played in 2024.
The last time they started a calendar year with a longer winning run was in 2008 (five matches).
No Tier One team has conceded fewer than Australia's 11.3 turnovers per game in Tests this year, while only Argentina (15.33) have averaged more than South Africa (15.25). Keeping the mistakes to a minimum will be key if the Wallabies are to spring a surprise.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia – Jake Gordon
Gordon will form one half of Australia's run-on halves pairing, alongside Noah Lolesio. The 31-year-old has been a reliable performer at the start of this new era for Australian rugby, seeing six of his 21 kicks from hand retained by a team-mate in Test action this year.
His kick retention rate of 29% is the best of the 25 Tier One players to attempt at least 20 kicks in Test rugby in 2024.
South Africa – RG Snyman
Snyman will start at number five in place of the injured Franco Mostert, having proven a capable deputy so far this year.
He has made 10 offloads in just 182 Test rugby minutes in 2024, averaging 4.4 per 80 minutes. No other Tier One player has averaged three or more per match this year.
NEW ZEALAND v ARGENTINA
New Zealand have not failed to win the Rugby Championship in 2019, and retaining their crown will be all the more important this year, following their dramatic 12-11 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup final almost 10 months ago.
Opening their 2024 campaign in Wellington, the All Blacks will be confident of maintaining their 100% record under new head coach Scott Robertson, who oversaw two wins over England and a 47-5 rout of Fiji last month.
New Zealand have an excellent record versus Argentina, winning 16 of their previous 17 Tests against them on home soil and averaging a winning margin of 34.8 points across those victories. The only defeat in that run came in the 2022 Rugby Championship, at the low point of Ian Foster's reign as head coach.
The All Blacks got their revenge by destroying Los Pumas 44-6 in the World Cup semi-finals last year, and they have now won their last three Tests against them, scoring 40 or more points in each of those meetings.
Before that run began, New Zealand had only tallied 40 or more points in three of their previous 22 meetings with Argentina.
Argentina, meanwhile, are yet to begin a Rugby Championship campaign with a win, losing their opening match in each of their previous 11 appearances. They did, however, beat the All Blacks in their first game of the 2020 Tri Nations.
Like their hosts, Argentina are entering a new era under Felipe Contepomi, who took the reigns from Michael Cheika after the World Cup.
Los Pumas have scored an average of 6.3 tries per game in Test action this year, the most of any Tier One nation, while they also lead the way for dominant contact on carries, doing so 51 times per game on average.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New Zealand – Ardie Savea
Savea will lead New Zealand out for the ninth time on Saturday, with a finger injury leaving regular skipper Scott Barrett sidelined.
Savea has been directly involved in six tries in his last six Test matches (four tries, two try assists) and scored a try when the All Blacks last faced Argentina in the Rugby Championship last August.
Argentina – Pablo Matera
Matera is also a stand-in captain for this match, with Julian Montoya absent due to a rib injury.
He made a competition-high 44 carries in the 2023 edition of the Rugby Championship, while his four offloads were the joint-most of any player in that tournament.
The Rugby Championship is back.
All eyes will be on the Southern Hemisphere's finest throughout six matchdays in August and September, with the tournament returning to a full 12-game format after the 2023 edition was shortened due to the Rugby World Cup.
South Africa broke New Zealand's hearts in the final of that tournament in France, and now they are hoping to end the All Blacks' four-year streak of victories in this competition.
The two favourites have been kept apart on the opening matchday, and both will be desperate to avoid any slip-ups on matchday one, as the Springboks go to Australia and New Zealand entertain Argentina.
Here, we run through the best Opta stats ahead of this weekend's action, picking out the players to watch in each contest.
AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA
The action gets under way at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane as Australia host the world champions, who are targeting a third straight Test win against the Wallabies following triumphs in the last two editions of the Rugby Championship.
They only won two of their previous eight versus Australia (two draws, four losses) and last enjoyed a longer winning run against them between September 2012 and September 2013 (three matches).
With the Wallabies starting a period of transition under new head coach Joe Schmidt, Rassie Erasmus' men go in as handy favourites to follow up their 24-8 victory in Australia two years ago. They last won back-to-back Tests in Australia in July 1993.
The Springboks have won 13 of their last 15 Tests, their only two defeats in that time coming against Ireland, while their 10.8 offloads per game are the most of any Tier One nation in Tests this year.
They always bring plenty of physicality, boasting the only three Tier One players to make 10 or more carries into contact while managing a dominant carry rate of 70% or better this year, namely Ben-Jason Dixon (83%), Lukhanyo Am (82%) and Makazole Mapimpi (79%). However, the latter duo are absent from their matchday one selection.
Erasmus will be warning his side against any complacency, however, given Australia have won their last four Test matches including all three to be played in 2024.
The last time they started a calendar year with a longer winning run was in 2008 (five matches).
No Tier One team has conceded fewer than Australia's 11.3 turnovers per game in Tests this year, while only Argentina (15.33) have averaged more than South Africa (15.25). Keeping the mistakes to a minimum will be key if the Wallabies are to spring a surprise.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia – Jake Gordon
Gordon will form one half of Australia's run-on halves pairing, alongside Noah Lolesio. The 31-year-old has been a reliable performer at the start of this new era for Australian rugby, seeing six of his 21 kicks from hand retained by a team-mate in Test action this year.
His kick retention rate of 29% is the best of the 25 Tier One players to attempt at least 20 kicks in Test rugby in 2024.
South Africa – RG Snyman
Snyman will start at number five in place of the injured Franco Mostert, having proven a capable deputy so far this year.
He has made 10 offloads in just 182 Test rugby minutes in 2024, averaging 4.4 per 80 minutes. No other Tier One player has averaged three or more per match this year.
NEW ZEALAND v ARGENTINA
New Zealand have not failed to win the Rugby Championship in 2019, and retaining their crown will be all the more important this year, following their dramatic 12-11 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup final almost 10 months ago.
Opening their 2024 campaign in Wellington, the All Blacks will be confident of maintaining their 100% record under new head coach Scott Robertson, who oversaw two wins over England and a 47-5 rout of Fiji last month.
New Zealand have an excellent record versus Argentina, winning 16 of their previous 17 Tests against them on home soil and averaging a winning margin of 34.8 points across those victories. The only defeat in that run came in the 2022 Rugby Championship, at the low point of Ian Foster's reign as head coach.
The All Blacks got their revenge by destroying Los Pumas 44-6 in the World Cup semi-finals last year, and they have now won their last three Tests against them, scoring 40 or more points in each of those meetings.
Before that run began, New Zealand had only tallied 40 or more points in three of their previous 22 meetings with Argentina.
Argentina, meanwhile, are yet to begin a Rugby Championship campaign with a win, losing their opening match in each of their previous 11 appearances. They did, however, beat the All Blacks in their first game of the 2020 Tri Nations.
Like their hosts, Argentina are entering a new era under Felipe Contepomi, who took the reigns from Michael Cheika after the World Cup.
Los Pumas have scored an average of 6.3 tries per game in Test action this year, the most of any Tier One nation, while they also lead the way for dominant contact on carries, doing so 51 times per game on average.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New Zealand – Ardie Savea
Savea will lead New Zealand out for the ninth time on Saturday, with a finger injury leaving regular skipper Scott Barrett sidelined.
Savea has been directly involved in six tries in his last six Test matches (four tries, two try assists) and scored a try when the All Blacks last faced Argentina in the Rugby Championship last August.
Argentina – Pablo Matera
Matera is also a stand-in captain for this match, with Julian Montoya absent due to a rib injury.
He made a competition-high 44 carries in the 2023 edition of the Rugby Championship, while his four offloads were the joint-most of any player in that tournament.
Mitch Haniger lined a bases-clearing double to right field just out of the reach of a diving Ryan Vilade to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.
The Mariners trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth but Luke Raley led off with an infield single against Luke Holton. Randy Arozarena followed with a single off Will Vest to put runners at the corners. Vest struck out Cal Raleigh and Justin Turner before walking Jorge Polanco.
Haniger then hit a sinking liner to right that Vilade dove for but misjudged, and the ball rolled to the wall, easily scoring all three runners.
It was Haniger’s franchise-leading eighth walk-off hit.
Raley homered in the sixth for Seattle’s first run and the Mariners snapped a three-game skid to move into a virtual tie with Houston for the AL West lead.
Zack McKinstry knocked in two runs for the Tigers, who were denied a sweep.
Brewers pound Braves for sweep
Rookie Jackson Chourio hit two of the Brewers’ six home runs and William Contreras added three hits, including a homer, and three RBIs as Milwaukee routed the struggling Atlanta Braves, 16-7 to complete a three-game sweep.
Sal Frelick had four hits and Garrett Mitchell, Willy Adames and Jake Bauers also went deep for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who collected 20 hits and swept the Braves in Atlanta for the first time since 2016.
Chourio, at 20 years and 150 days, became the youngest player in Brewers history with a multi-homer game. Billy Jo Robidoux, at 21 years and 266 days, set the previous record in 1985. Chourio is also the youngest player in baseball with such a game since Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019.
Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna homered for Atlanta, which allowed 36 hits in the past two games and dropped its fifth straight.
Charlie Morton was roughed up for eight runs on nine hits in just 2 2/3 innings.
Red-hot Padres sweep Pirates
Luis Arraez capped a three-run ninth inning with an RBI double and the San Diego Padres edged the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-6, for a series sweep.
Pirates closer David Bednar was called on to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth but gave up a leadoff single to Xander Bogaerts and walked Jackson Merrill.
After David Peralta struck out, Ha-Seong Kim walked to load the bases and the Padres tied it on a run-scoring grounder and went ahead when Oneil Cruz tossed a double play attempt past first. Arraez then tacked on what became the winning run with a double to right.
Manny Machado and Peralta homered as the Padres won their fifth straight and 14th in 16 tries to pull within 2 ½ games of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Joey Bart homered and Cruz had three hits for the Pirates, who lost their fourth in a row.
After starting positively on the opening day, which was lost to rain, West Indies bowlers were made to toil on Thursday’s second day as half-centuries from captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi propelled South Africa into a commanding position at 342-8 in the first Test at Queen’s Park Oval.
De Zorzi, the Proteas’ opening batter, was dismissed for 78 before lunch, while Bavuma was dismissed late in the day for 80, allowing West Indies to gradually claw their way back into the contest. Wiaan Mulder, not out on 37, and Kagiso Rabada, on 12, will resume batting for South Africa on Friday’s third day.
Jomel Warrican has been the pick of the Caribbean bowlers so far, with Kemar Roach (2-53) and Jayden Seales (2-57) also picking up key wickets.
Scores: South Africa 342 for 8 (Bavuma 86, de Zorzi 78, Warrican 3-66) vs West Indies
Resuming at 45-1 on a slow pitch that requires patience instead of flair, South Africa were initially kept quiet by West Indies' senior seamers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder, who started on good lengths but were punished as soon as they strayed.
While de Zorzi, who resumed on 32, got to his 50 off 78 balls, Tristan Stubbs (20) didn’t have the same luck as he edged a delivery from Roach to Holder in the slip cordon, adding only 18 to his overnight score of two.
Bavuma, in his first Test innings since March 2023, and de Zorzi kept West Indies at bay with a 51-run third wicket stand, which was eventually broken when the latter gloved to Kavem Hodge off Warrican shortly before the lunch interval.
After the break, Bavuma again dropped anchor and allowed his partner, David Bedingham, to take the fight to West Indies in a partnership worth 50 runs. Bedingham (29) later holed out to debutant Keacy Carty off Seales.
Ryan Rickelton (19) came and went shortly after watching Bavuma raise his 21st Test fifty. However, the captain was later trapped in front, and as the day draws to a close, Warrican struck twice, removing Kyle Vereynne (39) and Keshav Maharaj (zero) to keep West Indies in contention.
Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles feels testing positive for COVID-19 "definitely" affected his performance in Thursday's 200m final, as he was denied a sprint double by Letsile Tobego.
Lyles took gold in Sunday's 100m showpiece by five-thousandths of a second and had the chance to become the first man to win a 100m and 200m double at a single Olympics since Usain Bolt in 2016.
However, he finished third behind Botswana's Tobego and fellow Team USA star Kenneth Bednarek, managing a time of 19.70 seconds at the Stade de France.
Tobego managed a 19.46 as he became Botswana's first Olympic gold medallist in any sport, handing his country just their third Olympic medal of any description.
Lyles appeared lethargic and was wheeled away from the track in a chair after the race, as rumours swirled regarding his health.
US Track and Field subsequently confirmed he had competed despite testing positive for COVID-19, and Lyles was proud of the way he fought through illness to take bronze.
"I do have Covid. I tested positive around 5am on Tuesday morning," Lyles told reporters after the race.
"I woke up in the middle of the night feeling real chills, aching, sore throat, and those were a lot of the symptoms I've had right before getting Covid.
"It definitely affected my performance. I've had to take a lot of breaks… I was coughing through the night.
"I'm more proud of myself than anything, coming out here to get a bronze with Covid. I've had better days, but I'm walking around again. I was quite light-headed after that race.
"Shortness of breath, chest pain, but after a while I could catch my breath and get my wits about me. I'm a lot better now."
Grenada’s two-time World Championship javelin gold medallist Anderson Peters added the Paris Olympic Games bronze medal to his accolades after placing third in a pulsating final at the Stade de France on Thursday.
Anderson, who has displayed superb form from the preliminary round of the event, launched the instrument to a best mark of 88.54m on his fourth attempt to claw his way back onto the podium.
The 26-year-old was at one point in the gold medal position after throwing 87.87m on his second attempt. This was after another Caribbean stalwart, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, launched the javelin to a season’s best 86.16m to set the tone for a humdinger of a finals.
Walcott was later relegated to seventh, as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem opened daylight on competitors with a massive Olympic Record of 92.97m to win the event. Nadeem won ahead of India’s Neeraj Chopra (89.45m), last year’s World Champion and 2020 Olympic Champion.
Anderson’s bronze medal is the Spice Isles second of the global multi-sport showpiece, following Lindon Victor's decathlon bronze.
Jannik Sinner began his defence of the Canadian Open title with a routine 6-2 6-4 victory over Borna Coric in Montreal.
Sinner, who won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the 2023 event and has since won the Miami Open and his first grand slam at this year's Australian Open, was victorious within one hour and 37 minutes at the Omnium Banque National presente par Rogers.
The Italian, who missed the Paris Olympic Games with tonsillitis, showed no signs of rust on his first hard-court outing since his Miami triumph in March.
He stuck the ball sweetly from the off and only dropped four points behind his own first serve, with breaks in the third games of both sets putting him on course for victory.
He will face 15th seed Alejandro Tabilo or Lorenzo Sonego in the last 16 as he prepares for a potential title tilt at the US Open.
Speaking after his win, Sinner said: "I've been here for a little bit so I'm maybe a bit more used to the conditions, but still, I'm very happy about the performance.
"It was a very tough match. Even if you watched the score, it felt closer for sure.
"I had to save a break point in the second set and if he makes that one it could potentially change the match. It was a very good mindset today and I'll try to keep going."
Data Debrief: Forty and counting for Sinner
Sinner's victory, coming at the age of 22 years and 357 days, made him the youngest player to achieve 40 successive wins against players ranked outside the ATP's top 20 since Rafael Nadal, who completed that feat aged 22 years and 285 days at Indian Wells in 2009.
The United States launched a thrilling comeback to reach the basketball gold medal match at the Paris Olympics with a 95-91 win over Serbia, as Stephen Curry starred with 36 points.
Team USA – who have won gold at the last four editions of the Olympics – looked set to miss out on Saturday's final when Serbia entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead.
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 17 points and 11 assists for Serbia, who led by as many as 17 points at one stage in the first half.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points for Serbia while Aleksa Avramovic had 15, but Serbia were unable to hold on and avenge their 110-84 loss to the USA in the group stage.
Golden State Warriors star Curry carried the USA's offense for most of the game, though it was LeBron James' driving layup that tied the contest at 84-84 with under four minutes remaining.
The USA struggled defensively for long periods but finally began to put real pressure on Serbia late in the fourth quarter, and a missed 3-pointer from Ognjen Dobric with Serbia 86-84 up proved decisive.
Curry put the USA ahead with a 3-point jumper on a James assist with two minutes and 24 seconds left, then layups from both players stretched their lead as Serbia wilted.
Twice Serbia drew within two points in the final minute, only for two Curry free throws to seal the USA's victory with eight seconds on the clock.
They will face hosts France – led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama – in Saturday's gold medal match, after Serbia face Germany for bronze.
James added 12 rebounds and 10 assists to his 16 points to finish with a triple-double, while USA team-mate Joel Embiid brought up 19 points.
An emotional Letsile Tebogo dedicated his gold medal in the men's 200m at the Paris Olympics to his late mother after stunning his rivals at the Stade de France.
Noah Lyles, who won 100m gold on Sunday, entered Thursday's final as the clear favourite but could only manage a bronze medal, with US Track and Field subsequently revealing he was suffering from COVID-19.
Fellow American Kenny Bednarek took silver, with Tebogo's time of 19.46 seconds seeing him become Botswana's first Olympic gold medallist in any sport.
They previously won bronze in the men's 4 x 400 relay at the Tokyo Games three years ago, while Nijel Amos took silver in the men's 800m at London 2012.
Tebogo's triumph came just three months after his mother Seratiwa passed away following a brief illness.
After the race, Tebogo held up his spikes to the cameras to display a message detailing his mother's date of birth, before dedicating his victory to her.
"It's basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field," Tebogo told reporters.
"To take her with me, it gives me a lot of motivation. She's watching up there, and she's really, really happy."
Grant Holloway stormed to the gold medal in the 110m hurdles final at the Paris Olympics, having missed out by five hundredths of a second in Tokyo three years ago.
Holloway was edged out by Jamaica's Hansle Parchment at the delayed 2020 Games but travelled to France having won three straight World Championship golds.
He flew out of the blocks in Thursday's final at the Stade de France, taking the crown with a time of 12.99 seconds.
Fellow American Daniel Roberts claimed silver with a time of 13.09, with Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell taking bronze.
Holloway sprinted to the bell following his triumph before declaring: "I've made it. I've done it. I am the Olympic champion."
The 26-year-old had previously won gold at the World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League, in addition to his triumphs at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
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