Boomers Take Down Finland, Fall to Germany in FIBA Group Stage Play

The Australian Boomers are 1-1 so far at the FIBA World Cup having dispatched of Finland and lost to Germany. 

The opening weekend of the FIBA World Cup is over, and the Boomers aren’t exactly where they wanted to be right now. They started strong with a victory over Finland but a loss to Germany now leaves them fighting for second place in the group in need of a victory over Japan to advance.

Boomers Recap Against Finland

The Australian Boomers Tipped off their FIBA World Cup with a strong 98-72 victory over Finland. 

The Boomers started slow as they trailed by four points after the first quarter but then turned things around in the second quarter and ran away with the game in the second half. 

The Boomers started Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, Matisse Thybulle, Nick Kay, and Duop Reath while Joe Ingles played 20+ minutes off the bench. 

As expected, head coach Brian Goorjian gave Thybulle the assignment of guarding Lauri Markkanen early on and the results were sub-par. Thybulle got himself into foul trouble with three in the first half while Markkanen finished the half with 11 points. 

The second half was more successful for the Boomers in defending Markkanen as a combination of different players and looks held him to just eight points. 

For the Boomers, who else other than Patty Mills to lead the way? The Aussie captain poured in 25 points, eight rebounds, and four steals to help start the tournament off on a high note. 

His running mate in the backcourt Josh Giddey was also impressive with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. 

Boomers Recap Against Germany 

Going in, it was expected that Germany would be the toughest matchup in the group for the Boomers as they have a number of NBA players on their roster and looked strong in pre-tournament games. 

The Boomers caught a break pregame when it was announced that Franz Wagner would be unable to play due to an ankle injury suffered in Germany’s opener against Japan. 

However, this did not matter in the end as the Germans were able to take the 85-82 victory without their star player. After leading by four going into the final quarter the Boomers were unable to hold on. 

Dennis Schroder took control of the game for Germany scoring 30 points to go along with eight assists and four steals. 

German backup guard Maodo Lo also played a massive role scoring 20 points on 8/12 shooting. 

For the Boomers, the loss isn’t the end of the world as Germany is a quality squad and Australia is still expected to advance to the elimination rounds. However, they were substantial favourites and with no Wagner should have been able to take care of Germany. 

Giddey and Mills were once again strong for the Boomers. Giddey scored 17 points while Mills filled up the stat sheet with 21 points, five rebounds, and six assists. 

Boomers Set to Battle Japan for Second Place in Group E

The Boomers now face a must win situation against the host Japanese tonight. The winner of the matchup will finish second in the group and move onto the elimination rounds while the losers will be sent packing. 

According to most betting sites, the Boomers are heavy favourites. This makes sense as on paper the Aussie team is far more talented, and they have a much better track record in international play.

However, the Japanese are coming off a massive win over Finland and will have the roaring crowd at their backs trying to cheer them to the upset. 

The match will be no walk in the park as Patty Mills and co. will have to bring their best for four quarters. 

After splitting their opening two games of the FIBA World Cup 1-1, the Boomers are no longer able to qualify atop their group. They matchup with Japan tonight in a game where the winner will see themselves through in second place while the loser will be out of contention.