Australian Boomers fall short to Canada: Will they make it out of Group A?

Canada too strong for the Australian Boomers putting their Medal hopes on hold

Canada and Australia are seen by many as the top two teams in the Group A and this game was tough from the start. Former teammates in Josh Giddey and Shai Gilegous-Alexander have now turned enemies on the biggest stage of all but it was Shai Gilegous-Alexander who walked away laughing whilst leaving Australia’s Medal hopes in tatters.

The Boomers and Canada came into this game fresh off wins. The Boomers defeated World Number 2 Spain, 92-80 whilst Canada knocked off the Giannis Antetokounmpo lead Greece 86-79. With a 2-0 start to the winner up for grabs as well as a spot in the Quarter Finals, this was always going to be a big game.

Both teams started hot and the first quarter ended with Australia having a slim lead going into quarter time leading, 28-26. It would be the fresh face of the Boomers Josh Giddey who would start the game on fire, finishing the first quarter with 10 points and was doing it inside and out. Jock Landale would also start warm for the Boomers and would finish the quarter with 5 points. For Canada it was a number of players scoring the ball in the first quarter but leading the way surprisingly enough was Dillon Brooks with 7 points.

The second quarter kicked off and once again it would be the Boomers in control, out scoring Canada 21-19 and going into the half time break with a 49-45 lead. For the Boomers it was Josh Giddey again leading the scoring with 5 points in the quarter but with multiple scoring options the basketball was been moved around a lot and it saw Exum, Kay and Reath all get involved on the offensive end. Patty Mills really struggled in the second quarter with multiple missed shots, turning the ball over twice and fouling twice as well. He would finish the half with 8 points.

For Canada it would be its superstar Shai Gilegous-Alexander who would finally get it going, finishing the quarter off with 8 points. He was accompanied by RJ Barrett who finished with 4 points and Dillon Brooks who would continue his great form on both ends of the court.

The third quarter would start and so would Canada who would out scored the Boomers, 27-21 in the quarter. Their 8-0 run midway through the third was crucial in them getting into the lead and giving them some room to breath. RJ Barrett would well and truly lead the way with 13 points in the third quarter as Canada would never look back. For the Boomers it would be Landale, Exum and Jack McVeigh who would would keep Canada within an arms reach. McVeigh would hit two huge three point shots to cut the margin back to 2 points going into the last quarter with Canada leading 72-70.

FIBA Patty missing in action for the Boomers in disappointing loss

The last quarter would start with back and forth shots being hit from both teams but it would be Canada who would string together a 8-0 run to extend the lead to a game high 11 point lead. The Boomers could never get back into the game. Made shots to Exum, Landale and Giddey would all be matched with match shots to RJ Barrett, Khem Birch and Dillon Brooks. Canada would finish the contest winners by 10 points with a final score of 93-83.

For the Boomers the true disappointment was Patty Mills. FIBA Patty was well and truly missing and it has been reported that a missing persons report has been put out for him. He would end the contest with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist on 2/10 shooting from the field. The Boomers as a whole would finish the game with 18 turnovers and only shooting 32% from the 3 point line.

The top performers for the Boomers were Josh Giddey with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Jock Landale with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists and Dyson Daniels with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. For Canada RJ Barrett would lead the way with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, Shai Gilegous-Alexander with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists and Dillon Brooks with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Canada were just too strong at the end of the game and really showed the class, experience and ability to hit big shots to pull away from the Boomers. As a team Canada shot efficiently all night, shooting 50.7% from the field, had a game high 11 steals in the game and 5 blocks.

Canada turn their attention to Spain to try and close out the Group stages with a perfect 3-0 record heading into the quarter finals, whilst the Boomers will take on Greece in a must win game to advance to the quarter finals. If the Boomers wish to have a chance at bringing home a Medal they must get past Greece and Canada have to beat Spain. It will make for some very interesting viewing in the coming days, but the real question is will FIBA Patty be found before the tip off.