Boomers fall in thriller

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Australia has fallen in its second group game of the FIBA World Cup and suffered a three-point loss to Germany

Australia has suffered heartbreak in its second pool game in the FIBA World Cup, falling to Germany by three points in a heated clash.

The Germans raced out of the gates in the first quarter to an 8-0 lead and forced an animated Australian head coach Brian Goorjian to call a timeout less than three minutes into the game.

Patty Mills got the Boomers back on track after the disastrous start and scored Australia’s first 13 points of the game to help guide the nation to a one-point quarter-time lead.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Boomers' game plan? Feed Patty! ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForAustralia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForAustralia</a> <a href="https://t.co/wuOG0IBh6b">pic.twitter.com/wuOG0IBh6b</a></p>— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ? (@FIBAWC) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/status/1695721343080407278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A rotating cast of Matisse Thybulle, Josh Green, Jack White and Dante Exum tried to keep German star Dennis Schroder quiet across the course of the game, but the Toronto guard starred with a game-high 30 points.

Following Mills' first quarter explosion to get Australia up and running, Josh Giddey turned primary option as the game progressed, but despite a number of strong finishes at the rim, he struggled to get his offensive game truly flowing.

Duop Reath added a much-welcomed spark in the third quarter when he hit a pair of threes and slammed home a vicious putback dunk in an exceptional four-minute run, however the former Illawarra Hawk was often benched in favour of a small-ball rotation of Xavier Cooks, Nick Kay and Jack White.

Cooks’ defence on inside pair Daniel Theis and Johannes Thiemann proved game-changing for the Boomers defence, but a sluggish start to the fourth quarter left the side scrambling to force itself back into the game – much akin to how the game opened.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">YOU SHALL NOT PASS ?‍???<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForDeutschland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForDeutschland</a> ?? <a href="https://t.co/isJ85qhGD3">pic.twitter.com/isJ85qhGD3</a></p>— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ? (@FIBAWC) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/status/1695740596697403592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Germans went on a 10-0 run to start the term and open a six-point lead in a quarter that was marred by a succession of fouls late on.

A controversial no-call on a Giddey half-court heave saw the Boomers finish the game on the wrong side of a three-point deficit, and Germany now top the group heading into the final games in two days’ time.

Australia will play Japan in its final group clash on Tuesday evening at 9.10pm AEST, while Germany will take on Finland.

The victory marks Germany’s first win over Australia on the men’s international basketball stage at the seventh attempt.

Germany 85 (Schroder 30, Lo 20, Bonga 9, Theis 9)
Australia 82 (Mills 21, Giddey 17, Cooks 9, Exum 9)