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2019 International Basketball series: Australia vs USA, Game 1 |
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Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne | ||
Match time: Fulltime | ||
Australia | USA | |
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86 | SCORE | 102 |
20 | Q1 | 22 |
23 | Q2 | 22 |
18 | Q3 | 32 |
25 | Q4 | 26 |
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The United States of America have taken a 16-point victory in Game 1 of the international series in front of over 50,000 fans against Australia at Marvel Stadium in what was a highly entertaining game for the most part.
Final score
Australia 86
USA 102
The Australian Boomers are set to take on the USA in a huge two-match series as the Basketball World Cup draws nearer. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of Game 1 from 7:30pm (AEST).
In a lot of ways, this series isn’t what it was supposed to be, with so many NBA players on both sides of the game pulling out of these matches and the World Cup.
On the Australian side, Jonah Bolden was the latest to join the exodus, while virtually none of what would be considered the USA’s best roster have made themselves available for the trip to Australia, or the World Cup in China, which starts in just over a week.
The Aussies come into this series on the back of a two-match series against Canada, which they split one-all.
While Canada were far better than anyone though they might be, the Aussies really struggled for on court chemistry, and their defence clearly needs work, however, the improvement between Game 1 and 2 was clear to see.
The Boomers will be better for the run, and should play with a full big man rotation for the first time in these games, which means between Andrew Bogut and Aron Baynes, they will always pack a punch in the paint, which was an area they struggled in during the games against Canada.
Even without the USA at full strength, this still shapes as a huge challenge. It’s a complete NBA roster, with some of the brightest and best up and coming talents going around.
Kemba Walker locking into the point will have a huge roll to play for the visitors, while Donovan Mitchell will pack the scoring punch.
His battle with Matthew Dellavedova at the two spot will be fun to watch, with Delly known for his scrappy defence.
What Australia must get is production off the bench, with players like Chris Goulding, Mitch Creek and Cameron Gliddon needing to score and shoot the ball well, which was another area the Boomers struggled with against Canada.
Prediction
The USA have been struggling with chemistry issues, and will take a while to get used to the time difference. They did scratch past Spain, but I’m going to take Australia in a close one.
Australia by 4.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Game 1 in this Australia-USA series from 7:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Tip-off: 7:30pm (AEST)
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
TV: Live, SBS Viceland
Online: Live, SBS on Demand
Australia (expected)
Point guard: Patty Mills
Shooting guard: Matthew Dellavedova
Small forward: Joe Ingles
Power forward: Jock Landale
Centre: Aron Baynes
Bench: David Barlow, Andrew Bogut, Mitch Creek, Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding, Nick Kay, Nathan Sobey
USA (expected)
Point guard: Kemba Walker
Shooting guard: Donovan Mitchell
Small forward: Harrison Barnes
Power forward: Khris Middleton
Centre: Mason Plumlee
Bench: Jaylen Brown, Joe Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Myles Turner, Derrick White
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