The Australian Boomers have gone down to Team USA by 10 points on Day 5 of competition, with a performance that proves they are well in the hunt for a medal in Rio.
It was an incredibly hot start for both sides, with the skills of some of the NBA’s finest shooters on display.
Some strong hustle on defence, combined with some sharp passing in offence saw the Boomers reach the halftime break with a six-point lead.
The Australian’s offence would start to cool off in the second half, as Team USA edged ahead by three points at the final break.
Carmello Anthony was the standout for USA, shooting nine three-pointers, including a couple down the stretch that relieved pressure for the Americans when Australia was looking to make a late charge.
Australia continued to show grit and determination down the stretch, but could not find the clean looks they required in offence, eventually going down by ten points.
The Boomers next face China on Saturday morning from 2:45am (AEST).
Final score:
USA 98
Australia 88
The Australian Boomers are in good form, but get a whole new test when they take on the USA at the Rio Olympics. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8am (AEST).
The Boomers, for the first time in history, sit two wins and no losses at an Olympic Games campaign – and it’s no fluke either.
This Boomers team are on fire. They dismantled France in the first game by 21, before taking on Serbia and rolling over the top of them too.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic against Serbia as they went into the final quarter behind, but a superstar performance from Matthew Dellavedova, who ended up with 23 points and 12 assists saw the Boomers take out a 15-point win.
Their defence has been particularly good for the most part, and it was particularly evident against France just how big of an asset Andrew Bogut is to the team. His and Aron Baynes’ combination with guards Dellavedova and Patty Mills are quite literally the difference between Australia being good and great.
The Americans as expected have had a great start to their Olympic Campaign, although they haven’t come up against the top teams in their group yet, playing the two teams likely to miss the quarter-finals China and Venezuela.
In that respect, this game will be a different sort of challenge for them given they have defeated China by 57 points and Venezuela by 44. Even if they win, you wouldn’t expect it to be anywhere near that margin.
The USA have so far been able to rest all their players, not playing big minutes and share the workload around. That could become a problem for the Boomers who have a couple of players like Chris Goulding who have barely made it onto the court.
In a game when depth is going to be tested one would assume as they go through tough periods, a player like Goulding could turn the game on its head.
The USA have also shared their offensive output around, which means everyone is going to have worked themselves into some sort of form.
Both teams have been shooting the ball incredibly well so far throughout the tournament, and so the match could turn into a shoot-out if that were to continue – there are sharp-shooters on each team with names like Mills and Durant, so it won’t be low scoring.
Where it’s going to be won is the defensive end though. Not giving silly fouls away, and making every miss count for something will be important.
It’s hardly unexpected but the USA have never been beaten by Australia in their previous seven meetings stretching back to 1964.
Prediction
It’s impossible to tip against the USA, but this could be the closest they come to losing. The Boomers are firing along, and it looks like their best chance in history to beat the giants of Basketball.
USA by 3.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage from 8am (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below to get involved with the discussion.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
JO'Neal
Guest
Very impressed with the Aussies. Outside of the USA, they have looked, by far, the best. Don't quite understand why they couldn't get a hand in Carmelo's face. Really, that was the difference in the game. But team USA wasn't even screening for Anthony, they were just giving him those shots from what I can tell, and I've been watching the replays. Anyway, really enjoyable game to watch. Can't say that about very many Olympic Bball games over the past decade.
Scott Pryde
Expert
They are a real chance to medal here - in fact after that you would say they should medal.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Cheers Paddy! Great effort from the Boomers.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Well that wraps up The Roar's live coverage of the Boomers vs USA match at the 2016 Rio Olympics with the Boomers falling by ten. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage. The action doesn't stop here either! There is a stack of coverage every day here on The Roar - right now Connor Bennett is live with the hockey as the Kookaburras play Great Britain - you can catch that here: http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/08/11/australia-kookaburras-vs-great-britain-olympic-mens-hockey-live-scores-blog/ The swimming will be live again from 11am (AEST) as well so keep an eye out for that. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Match Results The United States of America have had to fight hard, but recorded a come from behind victory by ten points over an Australian Boomers outfit that showed plenty and never went away down the stretch. The USA came firing out of the gates but it didn't take the Boomers long to find their rhythm and when they did they put the sword to the Americans, taking a lead out of the first half. In fact they barely were behind during the first half as the Patty Millls, Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut combination worked an absolute treat. They linked for points left right and centre and with the Boomers defence locking down the paint they went out to the lead. Their biggest lead reached eight points during the first half, about midway through the second quarter. What was very impressive from an Australian point of view was the amount of times they were able to counter momentum swings during the first half. Their effort on the defensive end and execution on offence plus a careful use of timeouts saw them never give up a monstrous run and let the game get out of hand. In fact, the ten point final margin wouldn't have been as large as it was if not for a lack of composure down the stretch and a couple of fouls they had to commit in an attempt to stop the clock and give themselves a fighting chance. Carmelo Anthony was the best on court for the USA and at times was the sole reason they stayed in the clash during the first half. Kevin Durant was ice cold throughout going to the main break shooting two of ten from the field, but Anthony was hitting threes from all over the court and ended the match with 31, including nine from outside. It took a better team effort in the second half for the USA to get back into the contest, after going to halftime five down - that gap could have been a lot larger if not for the large amount of turnovers Australia gave away. The third quarter saw a complete momentum swing as the American's outscored the Boomers by eight to take a three point lead into the final change. However, it again could have been a lot worse for the Boomers as they locked down the paint and made the Americans do a lot of shooting and work from the outside. The disadvantage, and maybe why they fell behind in the second half was the foul trouble they got into. They simply couldn't stay in the game with Andrew Bogut, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles and even David Andersen sitting on the bench. Andersen was particularly impressive off the bench throughout the match though, scoring 13 points and giving Australia a much needed spark. Cameron Bairstow was another, although his effort mainly focused around the defensive end. During the final quarter the game was very bucket for bucket with the USA holding a slender lead for the most part but with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving heating up it was clear the Aussies were going to have a hard time staying in it. The gap would then go out with Kyrie Irving knocking down a massive three-pointer with about 90 seconds on the clock and the Boomers couldn't come back fouling there way through the final minute. In the end then, the Boomers fall to the United States of America, but more positives gained out of the match then negatives. It also should be noted this just about wraps up Pool A barring any upsets with the USA taking first and Australia second. Final Score United States of America 98 Australian Boomers 88
BrainsTrust
Guest
I don;t see the sense of tryng to beat the US in this game with the question marks over Boguts fitness. They have sown a seed of doubt into the US team, but have they shown their full bag of tricks too early. Why not rest Bogut, start the bench players and leave the US in the dark.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Great game, Boomers put in a big shift and gave the USA a real game. Keep it going boys !
peter
Guest
The problem with the popularity would be the fact you dont get to watch the best play in Australia cause they are in the US already. Same thing is happening with the A leauge they will come back to Aus when they cant play in the US anymore. Aus needs a stronger comp with more money but unfortunalty that will never happen.
JohnB
Guest
The response you want to hear when the tournament is still going on
Patrick Effeney
Editor
Great blog Scotty. Thanks mate. What a game!
Leesha
Roar Rookie
At least the channel 7 live streaming worked via the 7 Sport App! What a game, Dream Team were too good at the end but our Boomers still have some improvement left in them. This could be the gold medal match up! Well done Boomers!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Stats Leaders Australia Points: Patty Mills (30), Andrew Bogut (15), David Andersen (13), Matthew Dellavedova (11) Rebounds: Matthew Dellavedova (6), Cameron Bairstow (5) Assists: Matthew Dellavedova (11), Ryan Broekhoff (4) United States of America Points: Carmelo Anthony (31), Kyrie Irving (19), Kevin Durant (14) Rebounds: Carmelo Anthony, De Marcus Cousins (8), Kevin Durant (5) Assists: Kyrie Irving (5), Kyle Lowry (4)
Brendon
Guest
In all fairness, we do have 2 players from the NBA championships on our team, in Bogut and Delly! Australia are well represented in the NBA now-a-days, but they can't match up with the Dream Team! Go the Aussies, Silver would be a fantastic outcome, and hopefully go a long way to finally kick starting the popularity of this amazing game in Australia!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Yeah absolutely - USA undoubtedly picked their defensive game up but a great effort from the Boomers nonetheless.
Scott Pryde
Expert
There we go folks - more people streamed that game then the Melbourne Cup.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Andrew Bogut incredibly hard on himself and his team talking on Channel 7. "We lost, let's not sugar coat it, there are no small wins here."
josh
Roar Rookie
In the 4th quarter, Australia just got a little sloppy on some plays; US forced some good pressure, but we probably got hurried, when maybe a little more composure may have helped.
Scott Pryde
Expert
STATISTICS 2 point field goals: Australia (58%), USA (35%) 3 point field goals: Australia (33%), USA (44%) Free Throws: Australia (83%), USA (72%) Offensive Rebounds: Australia (8), USA (21) Defensive Rebounds: Australia (32), USA (26) Assists: Australia (23), USA (17) Turnovers: Australia (16), USA (9) Steals: Australia (4), USA (7) Blocks: Australia (4), USA (4) Fouls: Australia (25), USA (24) Fast break points: Australia (15), USA (9) Points in the paint: Australia (44), USA (22) Bench points: Australia (21), USA (23)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Quarter by Quarter scoring breakdown 1st Quarter Australia 29 - United States of America 29 2nd Quarter Australia 25 - United States of America 20 3rd Quarter Australia 13 - United States of America 21 4th Quarter Australia 21 - United States of America 28 FULLTIME Australian Boomers 88 United States of America 98
Scott Pryde
Expert
Stats and report to come. Thoughts on the match Roarers?