Olympic basketball enters the semifinals today, with a red-hot Team USA taking another important step toward seizing their eighth-straight Olympic gold.
After soundly defeating Nigeria 88-74 in their quarterfinal, the US cruised to a comfortable 83-64 win over Australia this morning to reach Sunday's gold medal match. Plus, they got the job done by recording double-digit wins throughout the Paris tournament.
The last time the US failed to make an Olympic gold medal game was in 1992, when they last suffered any defeat at the Olympic level.
Team USA extends Olympic win streak with semifinal victory
The victory gave the US their 60th straight win at the Olympic Games, once again showcasing depth and talent from every player on the roster.
After finishing pool play with an impressive +58 point differential, the team's dominance has continued in the knockout rounds.
The reigning Olympic champions pushed the margin even further against Australia, with their lead ballooning to 30 points early in the fourth quarter.

France vs. Belgium will decide gold medal match
The US must now wait to find out their gold medal opponent later this afternoon, and today's second semifinal could bring even more fireworks when it tips off at 3 PM ET.
Host nation France will take on Belgium, a team with a wealth of fans traveling to Paris to cheer on their national team.
France has appeared self-assured throughout the Olympic tournament, with a pool play loss to Australia their only blemish thus far. But Belgium has looked similarly dangerous, with their only loss coming at the hands of the US in the group stage.
Belgium forward Emma Meesseman set a new record for consecutive 20-point Olympic performances with seven, a stat that dates back to the Tokyo Games. France, however, should feel confident in their attempt to better their bronze medal finish in Tokyo, relying on Marine Johannes's sharpshooting combined with Gabby Williams's stellar overall play.
How to watch Sunday's Olympic gold medal game
With 60-straight wins behind them, the US has only one game left between them and historic Olympic glory. They'll go for gold against either France or Belgium on Sunday at 9:30 AM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
Every member of Team USA contributed to Wednesday's 88-74 Olympic quarterfinal win over Nigeria, with roster depth highlighting the stat sheet.
With all 12 players tallying points and assists on 31 of the team's 34 made field goals, USA Basketball notched its 59th-consecutive Olympic victory.

Mid-game scoring run fuels USA dub
A slow US start kept the game tight into the second quarter, until a prolific 21-6 run saw Team USA close out the first half with a 19-point lead. They then added to their bucket bonanza with a 10-0 run to open the third quarter.
Despite leading Nigeria with 19 points and helping trim the USA’s lead to 13 in the fourth quarter, Promise Amukamara and her squad ultimately fell short of silencing Team USA's shooting prowess.

Wilson makes more US Olympic history
USA Basketball standout A’ja Wilson led the charge with her third double-double in Paris, her 20 points and 11 rebounds marking her fourth Olympic double-double — the most ever recorded by a US woman.
Also showing up big in the paint was Breanna Stewart, with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Brittney Griner added 11 points of her own.

Young capitalizes on her starting lineup shot
The player who shined the brightest was arguably three-time WNBA All-Star Jackie Young. Young replaced six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi in the lineup, mainly due to her strength and aggressive defensive ability — skills that helped her stifle top Nigeria scorer Ezinne Kalu.
In addition to her defensive contributions, Young also posted 15 points and three rebounds.
"She's playing the way we want to play both ends of the floor," head coach Cheryl Reeve said of the Aces double-threat. "And it's time to get to that space where we understand that if we don't win, we go home."

Olympic semifinal against Australia looms
Australia poses the next hurdle along Team USA’s win-or-go-home hunt for an eighth-straight Olympic gold medal.
The US last beat the Opals 79-55 in Tokyo, and the US will aim for a similarly orchestrated result in tomorrow’s Olympic semifinal.
The Olympic women's basketball tournament's knockout stage tipped off with today's quarterfinal round, which determines whether Team USA will compete against the world's best for an Olympic medal.
The US is still the frontrunner for gold, advancing past pool play on a 3-0 record and a point differential of +58.
History-makers Nigeria stand in Team USA's way
In Team USA's quarterfinal matchup, the seven-time Olympic champions will take on a team that's making some history of their own: Nigeria.
In qualifying for the quarterfinals, Nigeria became the first African nation to ever reach the Olympic knockout rounds, finishing pool play with a record of 2-1. Nigeria's success is a stunning turnaround from the Tokyo Olympics, where the team was eliminated after going winless through pool play.
Ezinne Kalu, who plays for Landerneau in France, has been Nigeria's leading scorer in Paris, most recently pushing past Canada with 21 points.

Roster depth is key to USA's Olympic success
Team USA will rely on their unyielding depth this afternoon, in addition to the combo play of two-time WNBA MVPs A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
The US will also lean on their stifling defense and consistent offense, averaging 92 points per game so far in Paris while only allowing 77 points per game from the opposition. And it goes beyond the starters: Team USA's bench contributed 52 points in their pool play finale against Germany.

Three other contenders book Olympic semifinal spots
All eyes are now on the USA's quest for a 59th-straight Olympic victory after today's other three quarterfinals are officially in the books.
After securing a do-or-die win to reach the knockouts, Australia harnessed their momentum to win their quarterfinal game against Serbia 85-67, setting up a semifinal date with either the US or Nigeria.
Spain — the tournament's only other undefeated team through pool play — were stunned by a powerful Belgian side this morning, falling 79-66. The Belgians will next contend in their first-ever Olympic semifinal with host country France, who downed Olympic debutants Germany 84-71 to advance this afternoon.
How to watch Team USA vs. Nigeria in the Olympic quarterfinal
Team USA squares off against Nigeria today at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
USA Basketball's Olympic 5×5 team cruised into the quarterfinals over the weekend, racking up three big pool play wins to enter the knockout rounds in first place. With players like Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson leading the way, the US earned wins over Japan, Belgium, and Germany.
Further cementing their dominance over the field, the US finished pool play up 58 points after three games — a massive stat in a tournament where point differential is a key tiebreaker.
Path to eighth-straight Olympic gold takes shape
With their 58-game Olympic winning streak comfortably intact, Team USA moves on to the win-or-go-home quarterfinals. The seven-time gold medalists will take on Nigeria — the first African country to ever make it to the knockout rounds of an Olympic basketball tournament — on Wednesday at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
Should the US advance, they'll face the winner of Serbia vs. Australia, whose Opals saved their Olympic campaign with Sunday's win over host nation France.
The other quarterfinal matchups are also set, with Spain playing Belgium and France taking on Germany.

Team USA's 3×3 squad rallies to capture Olympic bronze
After kicking things off 0-3, the US 3×3 team's five game winning streak carried them all the way the medal rounds.
The quartet fell 18-16 in overtime to eventual silver medalists Spain in Monday's semifinal, ending their chances of defending their Tokyo gold medal. Hours later, the US regrouped to win their bronze medal match over Canada behind Hailey Van Lith’s team-leading six points, with Germany later taking gold.
"We could have just laid down and not even been competing this far, but we stayed together, we stayed the course, and we made [a medal] happen from very little," said Team USA's Rhyne Howard on Monday.
After a number of days of pool play, USA Basketball's 5×5 and 3×3 teams find themselves on very different trajectories at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team USA 5×5 is rolling, notching two wins in two games including a 87-74 win over medal contenders Belgium. But the 3×3 team has struggled early, beginning pool play 0-3 before rattling off three straight wins to earn a 3-3 record.

Chemistry remains key for both US basketball teams
Both teams are still trying to find their Olympic footing, with each squad having had very little practice time as a unit before shipping off to France.
The 3×3 team has been further affected by injury, with LA Sparks rookie Cam Brink tearing her ACL in June and Atlanta's Rhyne Howard sidelined with an ankle injury for a number of weeks leading up to the Olympics. Tasked with defending the Tokyo gold medal, the team's relative inexperience with 3×3 and lack of cohesion has shown, as the US fell to Germany, Azerbaijan, and Australia before grabbing their first win.
While the US 5×5 squad are also still building chemistry, they have performed well ahead of the pack against Japan and Belgium.
They've already qualified for the quarterfinal round with one game left in pool play, led by the dynamic offense of Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson. Stewart led all scorers against Belgium with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Wilson added 23 points and 13 rebounds of her own.

What's next for Team USA basketball at the Olympics?
Team USA closes out 5×5 pool play against Germany this weekend, with eyes firmly on the prize as they look to continue an epic Olympic winning streak that dates back to 1992.
Despite the early losses, Team USA's 3×3 squad is bouncing back, going 2-0 on the day after a walk-off shot from behind the arc secured the overtime win over Canada.
Where to watch USA Basketball games at the Olympics
Team USA 3×3 tips off against France in their final pool play game at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on NBC networks.
Team USA 5×5 will face Germany at 11 AM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on NBC networks.
Today’s Olympic basketball tilt could be Team USA’s toughest yet, as the US faces a Belgian side they barely defeated less than six months ago.
Compared to Team USA’s Olympic dynasty, Paris is just the second Summer Games for seventh-place Tokyo finisher Belgium, with today marking their first time facing the eighth-straight gold medal-hunting USA on an Olympic court.

Team USA hopes to rewrite Olympic qualifier rematch
At February’s Olympic qualifiers, the US eked out a nail-biting 81-79 win over Belgium, needing a clutch Breanna Stewart buzzer beater to get the job done. The 2023 EuroBasket champions held the US to their tightest scoreline in years, draining 12 threes while Team USA went 4-for-19 — the same statline they posted against Japan on Monday.
Both teams were missing key players in that qualifying game, with stars A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray not available for the US and Belgium’s 6-foot-4 center Kyara Linskens out for the Cats.

Full rosters favor a USA victory
Even with both teams at full strength, Team USA is still the heavy favorite.
To hand the US their first Olympic loss since 1992, Belgium will have to lean on their WNBA vets: current Mystics guard Julie Vanloo and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP center Emma Meesseman. The pair led the Cats with a combined 43 points in Belgium’s opening loss to Germany, a team the US humbled in their final pre-Olympic tune-up.
"It’s going to be a great game," Team USA’s Napheesa Collier said of Belgium. "They’re a really good team. So I think it’s going to be a battle."
Where to watch USA Women's Basketball vs. Belgium
Team USA meets Belgium this afternoon at 3 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.

Team USA's 3×3 gold medal repeat dreams dim
Unlike their 5x5 counterparts, it’s been a very different tournament for Team USA’s defending gold medalist 3×3 squad. Beleaguered by injury, they have yet to secure a single win, falling 17-13 to Germany on Tuesday, 20-17 to Azerbaijan on Wednesday, and 17-15 to Australia this morning.
The struggling US will now take on Spain, hoping to finally find their footing against the first-place Spanish side.
Where to watch USA Women's Basketball 3×3 vs. Spain
Team USA 3×3 plays Spain this afternoon at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
Team USA tipped off their 2024 Olympic run with a statement in Monday’s 102-76 win over Tokyo silver-medalists Japan, setting down a path toward a record eighth-consecutive gold medal.
The victory marked USA women's basketball 56th-straight Olympic win — a streak dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Team USA towers over Japan
It took some time for the US to find its stride — particularly from behind the arc, with the team shooting just 4-for-19 and all but one three-pointer credited to first-time Olympian Sabrina Ionescu.
Japan, however, relied heavily on their range, sinking nine threes to stay within 10 points of Team USA for most of the first half.
To regain control, the US leaned into their height advantage, with a combined 46 points coming from 6-foot-4 forwards A’ja Wilson (24 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks) and Breanna Stewart (22 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) alongside 11 points from 6-foot-9 center Brittney Griner. With six US players at least as tall as Japan's 6-foot-1 center Maki Takada, Team USA's front court posted up in the key, ultimately helping the squad notch a whopping 64 points in the paint.
Also contributing to Team USA’s runaway win was Chelsea "Point Gawd" Gray, who dropped 13 assists — one short of the US Olympic record.

More USA chemistry is key to continued dominance
Team unity is also on the rise, with head coach Cheryl Reeve remarking, "what I'm excited about is just having such an unselfish group of really great players that don't care who gets the credit."
With a roster of athletes focused more on the Paris podium than their individual stats, Team USA's next opponent, Belgium, is in for a battle on Thursday.

Other noteworthy Olympic basketball results
Thanks to a combined 49 points from WNBA trio Leonie Fiebich (NY) and sisters Nyara and Satou Sabally (NY and Dallas, respectively), first-time Olympians Germany stunned Belgium 83-69 on Monday.
However, the most shocking result of the day came courtesy of Nigeria, who defeated favorites Australia 75-62 for their first Olympic win in 20 years.
The USA women's basketball team launch their 5×5 Olympics campaign this afternoon, tipping off against Japan in the first of three pool play games ahead of the knockout rounds.
Team USA has not lost a single Olympic game since 1992, when they fell to the Unified Team — a joint squad spanning 12 of the 15 former USSR countries — in the semifinal round. They've earned gold in every Olympic Games since 1996.

Olympic records on the line
The US has gold medal expectations once again in 2024, where they would become the first team in any team sport to walk away with eight straight gold medals in eight consecutive Olympic Games.
Veteran guard Diana Taurasi is going for her sixth-straight Olympic gold medal. If successful, she will become the first basketball player to reach six career gold medals.
That said, times have changed: "It's probably the least amount of preparation we've had going into an Olympics because of our schedule and WNBA," Taurasi told reporters prior to today's opener.
The US faced a humbling start to training camp after falling to Team WNBA 117-109 at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game earlier this month. However, they came back to dominate pool play opponent Germany 84-57 in their final pre-Olympic tune-up.

Chemistry is key for Team USA
After today's game against Japan, the US will take on a Belgian side led by 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman on Thursday. Team USA will close out pool play with Sunday's rematch against Germany before turning their attention toward the knockout round.
With superstars like A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, and Napheesa Collier leading the charge, the biggest challenge for Team USA will be building chemistry throughout the tournament.
"You really have to be the most unselfish you've ever been in your career, and it takes that from everyone because we had to forge this chemistry pretty quickly," said Taurasi.
How to watch Team USA vs. Japan today
The US tips off at the Olympics at 3 PM ET today, with live coverage on USA Network and Peacock.
Team USA definitively bounced back from their WNBA All-Star Game defeat on Tuesday, routing Germany 84-57 at the USA Basketball Showcase in London.
A'ja Wilson put up 19 points and 14 rebounds in the win, leading the team ahead of Breanna Stewart's 15 points. Wilson is now averaging 16.5 points per game for the US, tying Team WNBA All-Star coach Cheryl Miller for the highest in team history.

Team USA raises their game
Team USA is still building chemistry after spending a little more than one week as a unit, shoring up vulnerabilities highlighted in their weekend loss to Team WNBA.
The team looked more cohesive in London, with Napheesa Collier returning to the starting lineup after missing a number of weeks with a plantar fascia injury. They also saw quality performances off the bench, with Jewell Loyd scoring in double digits and both Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young keeping head coach Cheryl Reeve's rotations steady.
Returning to Europe for the first time since her 2022 wrongful detainment in Russia, Brittney Griner did not feature for the US due to load management.
For Germany, Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally took the court for the first time since the team's February Olympic qualifier, playing 26 minutes as Germany prepares for their Olympic debut in Paris.
"It was a breath of fresh air to get out of All-Star and come here," Sabrina Ionescu told reporters after the London Showcase. "There's one goal and it's to win."

All eyes are on gold
USA Basketball seems to be improving by the day, but the short runway to Paris could present a challenge for Reeve and her staff as the team looks to grow throughout the tournament — and hopefully hit their stride in time for the medal rounds.
"It's a tune-up game," Stewart said on Tuesday. "We don't want to peak too soon."
What's next for Team USA?
The US will start their Olympic group stage campaign with a game against Japan on July 29th, before playing a blockbuster August 1st matchup against a strong Belgium side. They'll later face Germany once again in their August 4th Olympic group stage finale.
USA Basketball's 5x5 team will tip off in an exhibition against Germany in London this afternoon, getting in one last tune-up before the Summer Olympics begin.
The US is hunting an eighth-straight gold medal this year, with group stage play starting on July 29th.

US to use All-Star loss as fuel
Coming off the weekend's All-Star Game loss, the Olympians are ready to repeat history: They earned their Tokyo gold medal immediately after losing the first Team USA vs. Team WNBA All-Star Game back in 2021.
Breanna Stewart, who led Team USA with a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double on Saturday, said that the defeat "is going to help us tremendously. We don’t get that many game opportunities, [and now] we can go back and watch the film and focus on how we can continue to be better."
Today’s tilt against Germany will see the US work to lock in their defense, particularly in the paint. They'll also lean into their positional versatility before heading to Paris.

Olympic debutants Germany enter first US clash
The exhibition marks the first-ever US-Germany linkup. The German team will make their Olympic debut in Paris after decades of failing to qualify for major international competitions. Their sixth-place 2023 EuroBasket finish sent them into February’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where they punched their ticket to the 2024 Games.
Leading Germany's run was two-time WNBA All-Star Satou Sabally, who put up career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists, and steals with Dallas last season. Her 20-point, 11-rebound double-double was the difference-maker in Germany's must-win 73-71 Olympic qualifying victory over Brazil.
Other German players to watch include 2022 NY Liberty draft-pick — and Sabally's sister — Nyara Sabally, along with Liberty sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich.
Where to watch the Team USA vs. Germany game
Today’s exhibition tips off at 3 PM ET with live coverage on FS1.