The USA men's basketball team has been heavily favored to win gold. They have one opponent left, facing France in Sunday's gold medal game.
There will be plenty of star power for both sides. France features two elite big men in Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. LeBron James has continued to be the best player for Team USA, Steph Curry has finally made his presence felt in the semifinals, and Kevin Durant has been an unfair option off the bench.
Depth is the USA's biggest strength, but it won't be easy to take down the home team in Paris. The Sporting News breaks down the matchup below.
MORE: Updated Olympics basketball schedule, results
USA vs. France prediction, picks
Team USA is good, but it is beatable. They needed every ounce of talent to get by Serbia in a 95-91 thriller. France represents the toughest opponent that they have faced.
France already beat a roster filled with NBA players in Canada to get to this point, taking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and crew 82-73 in the quarterfinals and a favored Germany team 73-69 in the semifinals.
The statistic that should stand out from those last two games is the amount of points France allowed. They've been a stingy defense, which isn't surprising given that they have the top two finishers in the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award on their roster.
The Gobert-Wembanyama duo has been great defensively, but it's been a somewhat awkward fit on offense. That has led to a surprising benching of Gobert in recent games, which has worked in France's favor. His replacements have played well, and France has scored just enough to get by.
Will that strategy continue against the USA? It seems likely, given that they play a similar NBA style to the Canadians. But anything could happen. Give French coach Vincent Collet credit. He has not been afraid to make big adjustments, changing lineups and strategies from game to game in order to maximize his team's chances at winning.
Collet has gotten huge performances from big bruiser Guerschon Yabusele, who has steamrolled opponents to the rim. French wing Isaia Cordinier has picked the biggest stage of his career to get hot, injecting his team's offense with clutch 3's and drives to the rim. And then there is Wembanyama, who has had some tough shooting games but made spectacular plays.
MORE: Why isn't Guerschon Yabusele in the NBA? Revisiting former Celtics forward's career
France is a good team, but the USA should still be able to take them down. Nobody has been able to slow down LeBron. Now that Curry is going, that pick-and-roll duo is going to be even more lethal. Steve Kerr didn't even use Jayson Tatum in the win against Serbia, showing how many weapons he has at his disposal.
Good offense usually beats good defense, and the USA might have the best collection of scorers to ever set foot in a gym. France doesn't have the firepower to keep up, and a flurry of 3's is all that it will take to put them away.
Prediction: USA wins
USA vs. France betting odds
Betting odds have not yet been released. Check back, where they will be posted courtesy of BetMGM
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline | |
| USA | — | — | — |
| Brazil | — | — | — |
USA vs. France key storyline: How does the USA combat France's size?
France has the ability to throw a different look at Team USA with both Wembanyama and Gobert on the roster. How much Gobert plays is a different story. His minutes have been limited due to a combination of matchups, ineffectiveness, and an injured finger.
If Gobert is out, then France still has options with Yabusele and Mathias Lessort. The USA is going to have to protect against offensive rebounds, which was a problem in their game against Serbia.
If France does give the USA trouble, then it will be because of Wembanyama's scoring. He's shot just 6-of-27 from the field in the knockout round, including a ghastly 1-of-14 from 3.
If Wemby does get going though, then he may pose serious issues. He's been trying to create a little too much rather than simply finishing plays with his massive length. He's lit up all of these defenders at various points during the NBA season, so it would be a mistake to discount him. He has struggled with ball pressure, so the USA may want to be aggressive with its coverage on him.
MORE: Kevin Durant becomes USA Basketball's all-time leading rebounder
USA basketball Olympics schedule
Team USA went a perfect 5-0 during its pre-Olympics exhibition schedule and carried that momentum into the Games.
The United States swept Group C, defeating Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico to advance to the knockout round. It defeated Brazil to go to the semifinals, and Serbia to make it to the Gold medal game.
You can find its full Olympic schedule and results below.
| Date | Stage | Opponent/Result | Time (ET) |
| July 28 | Group C | USA 110, Serbia 84 | — |
| July 31 | Group C | USA 103, South Sudan 86 | — |
| Aug. 3 | Group C | USA 104, Puerto Rico 83 | — |
| Aug. 6 | Quarterfinals | USA 122, Brazil 87 | — |
| Aug. 8 | Semifinals | USA 95, Serbia 91 | — |
| Aug. 10 | Gold Medal | USA vs. France | 3:30 p.m. |
