CNN
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Team USA had to stage a stunning comeback on Thursday to defeat Serbia 95-91 and advance to the gold medal game in men’s basketball.

Serbia – led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić – led by 17 points at one point in the second quarter, but saw their lead melt away against the USA’s top-class offense.

Two of the biggest names in the sport, LeBron James and Steph Curry, led the comeback with some crucial baskets in the closing stages as the reigning Olympic champion avoided a complete upset.

Team USA will face host nation France in the gold medal game on Saturday.

James achieved only the fourth triple-double in Olympic history, while Curry had by far his best performance of the Games and was the all-time leading scorer with 36 points.

After failing to win a medal at last year’s World Championship, the United States assembled a roster that could be considered a “who’s who” of NBA players; the roster includes four NBA MVP winners and 11 All-Stars.

Team USA has occasionally shown a lack of cohesion on both sides of the ball, as one might expect from a team full of ball-dominating superstars, but its incredibly talented and deep offense has allowed it to blow away its opponents so far.

It seemed like the USA would pull away in the first quarter, as Golden State Warriors star Curry sank five three-pointers and scored 17 points in just eight minutes.

Serbia, however, had other plans and also performed well from behind the three-point line, hitting five three-pointers and shooting 65% from the field as a team in the opening period. It also frustrated Team USA with tight defense throughout the game, forcing the Stars to settle for long attempts and not get into the zone.

The American team is full of goal scorers who thrive in isolation, but the team failed to create many clear-cut chances in the first half and struggled to keep up with the Serbian team, which was firing some outstanding shots at the other end.

The Europeans’ lead had grown to 17 points midway through the second quarter and the US team was constantly on guard for an upset.

Some good shots from players like Curry, Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid – who was still being loudly booed by the Paris crowd after opting to play for the USA instead of France – cut the lead to six points in the third set, but Jokić and Co. were determined to keep their opponents at bay.

A terrific and-one after a three-point shot by guard Marko Gudurić was the highlight of another strong phase for the Serbs, who went into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead.

However, this American troop of “Avengers” may be inevitable.

A basket from Embiid left the game with just one possession left with just over four minutes to go before James scored a classic layup to tie the score at 84-84.

Shortly thereafter, a crucial three-pointer from Curry gave the USA the lead for the first time since the fourth minute of play. Bogdan Bogdanović converted an and-one to keep things exciting in the final phase, but Kevin Durant, now the USA’s all-time leading Olympic scorer, decided the game with a decisive shot from mid-range with 34 seconds left.

James scored 16 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, while Embiid scored 19 points. Bogdanović led the way for Serbia with 20 points, closely followed by Jokić with 17 points.

A fight for the ages ended in defeat for Serbia, which will now face Germany for the bronze medal.

It was a huge shock for Team USA, and perhaps proved that this team of superstars is not unbeatable after all. For France and its home fans, that may be all they need to believe.