Basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics is officially off and running, and we've got four more games on tap on July 28 — including debut of the U.S. men's team and the start of the women's tournament. Follow along for all the action, beginning with a bit of history.

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South Sudan's journey to its first Olympic Games is storybook stuff: The world's newest nation, having only gained independence in 2011, the Bright Stars were ranked 62nd in the world entering last year's FIBA World Cup but punched their ticket to Paris as Africa's top-performing team.

And now they're officially in the win column. Star Carlik Jones led five players in double-figures with 19 points as the South Sudanese caught fire down the stretch to turn a nip-and-tuck game into a relatively stress-free finish. 

"I think it means the world," Jones said. "It just lets them know that anything's possible, as long as you just keep working hard and battle adversity. I hope we put a lot of smiles on a lot of people's faces."

Puerto Rico got off to a sizzling start, with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado erupting for 19 points in the first half. But Alvarado went down with an ankle injury just before the break, and while he returned early in the third quarter, his team struggled to recapture its rhythm.

South Sudan held Puerto Rico to just 25 points in the second half, using its considerable frontcourt length to make life difficult on Puerto Rico's other lead guard, Tremont Waters, who went 6-for-19 from the field. South Sudan also had an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass, helping to overcome a so-so shooting performance from the field. 

"It means everything," Wenyen Gabriel said. "It's a unifying moment. We're all united through basketball right now and it's proof of what sport can do for a country."

Group C figures to run through the U.S. and Serbia, but this win gives South Sudan a puncher's chance of pulling an upset and sneaking through to the knockout round. It will face Team USA on Wednesday, July 31, in a rematch of a wildly entertaining exhibition in London earlier in July. Puerto Rico, meanwhile, will look to rebound against Serbia also on Wednesday.

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What a way for the women's tournament to get underway. China led for most of this game, and seemed to have things sewn up when two Yang Liwei free throws stretched the margin to five with just 27 seconds left. But Queralt Casas got an old-fashioned three-point play on the other end, and after China split two free throws, Leonor Rodriguez hit a ridiculous three in the closing seconds to send things to overtime. Former Iowa star Megan Gustafson — who became a naturalized citizen last year in order to play for the Spanish team — took over from there, scoring six of her game-high 29 points in the extra session to help seal the win. Spain will continue Group A play against Puerto Rico on Wednesday, July 31, while China looks to get on track against Serbia.

Team USA turned its much-anticipated Olympic opener against Nikola Jokic and Serbia into a laugher, shooting the lights out in the second half and looking every bit the part of gold-medal favorites. Kevin Durant (team-high 23 points) and LeBron James (21) combined to miss just two shots all night, while the U.S. bench built a lead while Jokic was out and never looked back. The Americans will next face off against South Sudan in Wednesday, Aug. 1, while Serbia meets Puerto Rico.

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Well this one got interesting. Serbia appeared to be cruising to a win, taking a 55-36 lead into the fourth quarter. But Puerto Rico would not go away, holding Serbia to a scarcely-believable three points in the final quarter. The Puerto Ricans had multiple chances to tie the game or take the lead in the final minute, but their final two possessions came up empty to allow Serbia to escape what would have been a massive upset in Group A.