It didn't take long for Stephen Curry to make his presence felt during the USA's semifinal matchup against Serbia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Less than 20 seconds into the game, Curry got Team USA on the board first with a midrange jumper and followed it up with a 3-pointer just over a minute later. Given Curry's struggles throughout the tournament, his early start against Serbia signaled that he was on the verge of a well-overdue breakout performance.
Team USA experienced its fair share of struggles in the first half against Serbia, trailing by as many as 17 points before clawing back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to advance to the gold medal game against Paris.
Here's a closer look at the impressive game that Curry turned in against Nikola Jokic and company.
MORE: Live updates as USA takes on Serbia in Olympic basketball semifinals
Stephen Curry stats today vs. Serbia
After scoring 20 points in the first half, he finished with 36 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes of action. Curry shot 12-of-19 from the field and 9-of-14 from 3-point range.
Curry's 36 points fell one point shy of a USA Basketball Olympic record set by Carmelo Anthony, who also set the record with 10 3-pointers in the same game.
Curry scored 17 of his 20 points in the first quarter with 14 of the 17 coming in a span of 3:34. Nothing was more impressive than Curry's signature look-away triple in front of the United States bench.
Chef Curry was COOKING early. 🔥
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024
14 points in the first THREE MINUTES AND 34 SECONDS.#ParisOlympics | 📺 USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/TnUR25TnAp
Yeah, he was feeling it.
Despite Curry's heroics, Team USA trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half and entered the halftime break trailing by 11. The Warriors star turned in more heroics in the second half, including the 3-pointer that would ultimately put Team USA ahead for good.
