Boomers Show Promise at USA Basketball Showcase

The Australian Boomers have heavy expectations as bronze medalists from Tokyo. As such the spotlight on the team, even in pre-tournament action, is magnified. Their performances in Abu Dhabi should allow supporters to relax a little as they looked more than capable of a deep run in Paris.  

USA Flexes Their Muscles in First Half 

The USA Basketball Showcase always represents a good chance for some of the world’s top teams to see where they stand on the international stage right before the Olympics.  
 
This year’s event took place in Abu Dhabi and the Boomers had two scheduled matches against the USA and Serbia.

Their opening match was against the Mighty Americans who following a disappointing FIBA World Cup, have assembled somewhat of a redeem team 2.0.  
 
Veterans like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant are joined by young stars like Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum to create one of the scariest international teams we’ve ever seen.  
 
As such, they are expected to roll through the Olympics and the pre-tournament matches. They looked primed to do so early on against the Boomers.  
 
Australia got off to a good start with Jock Landale scoring the game’s opening basket and the Boomers then holding a brief 5-3 lead.  
 
They played the Americans extremely tight until the two-minute mark of the opening frame. Dante Exum put through a layup at this point to make the score 24-21 USA.  
 
The all-star lineup of the USA then clamped down and decided to take over. They scored eight points in the final two minutes and didn’t give up a basket to head into the second quarter up 32-21.  
 
It was more of the same form the USA in the second quarter as they continued to pile it on offensively and play suffocating defense. By halftime they had built their lead out to 53-37.  
 
It appeared as though the Americans were going to cruise to a victory after Australia failed to significantly cut into the lead in the third quarter, as they trailed 76-61 going into the final frame. This was not the case.  

Fourth Quarter Comeback Falls Short 

After going down 83-65 early, the Boomers came alive. They slowly began to chip into the American lead and upped their defensive intensity, thwarting the American attack.  
 
From the eight-minute mark to the three-and-a-half-minute mark, The Americans scored just three points. Meanwhile the Boomers scored 15 of their own to cut the lead to six.  
 
They had a number of chances to come even closer but failed to capitalize as ultimately, USA found some offense again and won the game 98-92. Despite the loss, the result is somewhat positive for the Boomers who showed their resilience and that they can hang with the mighty USA.  

Patty Mills Leads the Way Against Serbia 

Just a day after their loss to the USA, the Boomers took on Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Though they aren’t the juggernaut that America is, they are certainly not a country that can be taken lightly.  
 
The Boomers came out strong, as Patty Mills went 3-for-3 from the field in the opening quarter including a pair of threes. This paced the Boomers to a 20-15 lead.  
 
The second half was a back-and-forth affair until Serbia ended on an 8-1 run to take a 40-39 lead into the locker room.  
 
Patty Mills kept up his great play in the third quarter and Josh Giddey got himself more involved as the Boomers led 62-59 heading into the final frame.  
 
Midway through the frame the Boomers began to pull away. A Nick Kay three with just four minutes remaining stretched the lead to nine and the Boomers didn’t look back. They held their nerve and eventually won by 11 points, 84-73.  

The Boomers took to the courts in Abu Dhabi for the USA Basketball Showcase looking to show they can still compete at the top of international basketball. They did just that as they played USA tight till the end and beat Nikola Jokic and Serbia by 11 points.