The United States defeated France 87-82 to win their fourth consecutive gold medal in the Olympics. 

Kevin Durant led Team USA with 29 points to win his third gold medal.

"This is one of those special journeys," Durant said. "When you're a part of a team that's evolving by the second, it's amazing to see. Each game we continued to grow. I'm grateful we all committed to it, we stuck with it and we finished it off."

France defeated the United States in the opening games of the preliminary round and kept the game within striking distance until the final seconds of the game.

Team USA will meet France in a rematch of the 2020 Olympics opener, but this time it'll be for the gold. The United States topped Australia 97-78 in one semifinal, while France held on to beat Slovenia 90-89 in the other semifinal.

Kevin Durant led a US comeback with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. NBA finalists Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton also played a big role in the victory. Booker scored 20 points, while Holiday add 11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and his usual stellar defense. Middleton carried the bench scoring with 11 points.

The United States fell behind by 15 points midway through the second quarter. In the second half, Team USA locked in defensively and turned the game around with a 32-10 third quarter margin.

Durant's new teammate Patty Mills led Australia with 15 points and eight assists. Newly added San Antonio Spur Jock Landale scored 11 points, while NBA free agent Dante Exum added 14 points off the bench.

On the other side of the bracket, Nic Batum scored only three points, but saved the day for France against Slovenia. Batum blocked a layup attempt at the buzzer as France survived.

Longtime French National Team point guard Nando De Colo led the way with 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists. NBA players Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert had big games too. Fournier continued his excellent Olympics with 23 points, while Gobert added nine points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.

Playing through a sore hand, Luka Doncic put up a triple-double for Slovenia. Doncic scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 18 assists. Mike Tobey led Slovenia with 23 points.

Team USA and France will meet for the gold medal on Friday night here in the United States. The game is scheduled to tip at 10:30 PM ET. Australia and Slovenia will play for the bronze at 7:00 AM ET on Saturday morning.