USA vs. Spain 2016 live stream: How to watch Olympic basketball gold medal game online

The U.S. women’s basketball team will try to win its sixth gold medal in a row when they face Spain in the final game of the tournament. Team USA is a heavy favorite and should prevail easily but they have gotten this far by not taking anyone lightly and that should continue on Saturday against a less talented but equally hungry Spanish team.

NBC will televise the gold medal game at 2:30 p.m. ET, with live online streaming available through NBC Sports.

Australia was considered the biggest threat to American dominance in the competition and a lock to face Geno Auriemma’s team in the gold medal game but were on the wrong end of an upset against Serbia in the quarterfinals. After that, the rest of the tournament was considered a formality before the U.S. claimed gold, but the semifinals showed that, while the most talented team by a huge margin, it’s possible to stay close to Team USA, at least for a while.

A scrappy French team made it a game for an entire half before succumbing late and losing by 19 points. The U.S. missed Sue Bird, who was out with a knee sprain. Considering there’s not a lot of depth at the point guard positions, the U.S. could be vulnerable if she misses the final game. They should still beat Spain handily but France provided a road map of how to make things tough for Team USA that the other European powerhouse could follow.

The reality is that it would take a catastrophe to deny the U.S. the gold, whether Bird suits up or not. The talent disparity is just too great. Spain is scrappy, though, and they have experienced players as well as stars like Laia Palau. There’s a reason they reached the finals, eliminating Turkey in dramatic fashion and beating Eurobasket champion Serbia in the semifinals. They are good.

Team USA is better, however, and while it might be harder for them to truly dominate without Bird, they will in all likelihood win their sixth gold and keep one of the most impressive dynasties in international sports alive.

Time: 2:30 p.m.

TV: NBC

Streaming: NBC Sports