The Australian men’s basketball team are through to the knockout stage of the Olympic tournament after winning a close, hard-fought game against Serbia.
The Boomers trailed Serbia 40-43 at half-time despite a hot start, as Serbia poured on big men and won numerous fouls and close calls late in the second quarter. The Aussies were up by as much as seven points in the second quarter, only to fall behind as open shots failed to land and too many fouls were committed.
Matthew Dellavedova worked superbly hard to keep Australia in it during the third quarter, and a big rally and late Serbian mistakes helped the Australians win 95-80, with the final quarter going 33-17 to Australia.
The final score flattered the green and gold but with the win on the board, it’s the first time ever Australia have won both opening matches.
The Boomers found a switched on Serbian defence in this important match, very different to the porous French from the previous game.
It took a mighty run in the fourth quarter to get past them. Outstanding for Australia was Dellavedova, who showed his absolute tenacious best, taking heavy contact into multiple charges at the basket and setting up quality looks for his teammates.
Dellavedova scored 23 points, had 13 assists, two steals and zero turnovers to really dominate the match from the guard position and his gutsy attacks into the Serbian paint would earn him respect on any court.
Whenever he was on the floor and running the show, Australia looked good. Without him, the Boomers weren’t so flash.
Patty Mills top-scored with a game-high 26 points but had an off night from three-point range, shooting just 2/9. He endured a cold period but came home strongly to piece together a fine performance that can be improved upon.
Andrew Bogut led the Boomers in rebounds, picking up ten defensive boards to finish with 12 rebounds, nine points, six assists and three big blocks. He wasn’t able to have as much impact on the game as the previous night, in a quality battle with Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica at times, but was still a big performer.
He even had a deep three-pointer in the first quarter as the shot clock was expiring!
Joe Ingles had a better night with ten points, while Aron Baynes had a quieter night but still finished with ten points and seven rebounds.
Foul calls bothered both sides and led to a stop-start game at times, with each side struggling to find a rhythm.
The Serbians were uncompromising in defence, and Australia will want to be far better if they want to break down their more fancied opponents.
Those more fancied opponents include the USA, who Australia face next, in just two days time.
The good news is there’s no pressure for Australia in the match. It’s not a must-win. No one really expects us to come within coo-ee.
It’s potentially even a chance to rest some of the tired legs of Dellavedova, Mills, and Bogut who were all heavily relied on in the past two matches.
We’d all rather see Australia’s best team take on the USA in full battle, but we might get that chance later in the tournament if things go to plan.
And they are so far. Australia is up 2-0 from their two matches, for the first time. Team USA await.
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