Game Report: Boomers take it up to USA

The Australian Boomers have given Team USA a scare in their exhibition game in Abu Dhabi, pushing a star-studded roster to within six points.

Jock Landale (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and Josh Giddey (17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) were the standouts for the Boomers, who fell behind early, but performed strongly in the second half, outscoring their opponents in both the third and fourth quarters.

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Tasmania JackJumpers big man Will Magnay (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) and teammate Jack McVeigh (9 points) looked right at home at the level, while newly signed Atlanta Hawk Dyson Daniels impressed, with 14 points on six-of-eight shooting.

Will Magnay making plays during the Boomers 10-0 third quarter run 🐜

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The Boomers struggled to find their touch from beyond the arc, going at four-of-18 from three, with Patty Mills having a tough night at the office. 

Josh Green played 19 minutes but centre Duop Reath and swingman Joe Ingles saw just two and three minutes of court time respectively.

Guard Matthew Dellavedova played just four minutes but produced two assists, two rebounds and a steal in a crucial late-game cameo.

Giddey and Landale both had their opportunities restricted in NBA campaigns for Oklahoma City and Houston this season and will take huge confidence from their displays considering the significance of their roles in Paris.

It was an extremely encouraging performance for Brian Goorjian's squad going into the Paris Olympics, with the USA team at close to full strength. Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker all played significant minutes, with Davis top-scoring with 17 points, to go with 14 rebounds.

"The exciting part was we got better as the game went on," Australia coach Brian Goorjian said of the defending Olympic bronze medallists.

"My job right now is to convince my team, 'How do you win?'

"We came back with the style we wanted to play and it came through the defence.

"In the second half (we had) the grit, got back to the bump and grind and controlling the tempo of the game."

US coach Steve Kerr, who is combining the role with his post at Golden State, tipped his cap to Goorjian's men.

"I give Australia a ton of credit. They were great. They fought. They were really physical. Took it to us in the last quarter-and-a-half and really made it a game," he said.

"The strength of our team is our depth and we have to utilise our depth.

"Third quarter, we started turning the ball over. We gave up a ton of points at the basket. The game shifted. It's a good lesson for us."

The Boomers now take on Serbia on Wednesday morning at 2am, Australian time, live on ESPN.

"This (preparation) is great for us; my fourth Olympics and I don't think we've played a better basketball team than we've played tonight, man for man," Goorjian said.

"And we're coming up against another MVP (Jokic) and a team (Serbia) that won the (2016) silver medal."

AUSTRALIA 92 (Landale 20, Giddey 17, Daniels 14)
USA 98 (Davis 17, Booker 16, Edwards 14)