Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates Australian Boomers take slim lead over Team USA
1 of 3
Nic Kay has been enormous for Australia in these last few minutes but USA is firing now.
Kay kept the ball alive with an offensive rebound and then hit a three. On the previous play he gave Booker a shock by screening him at half-court.
Kevin Durant posts up.Credit:AP
But the Boomers offence has stalled in the face of some USA pressure. They hae to adjust or this game will be lost.
USA up 64-53 with two mins left in Q3.
Kevin Durant has made a three.
This is their best phase of the game although Durant’s shooting has come with a hand in his face. He is just that good.
Durant has 23 points. Devin Booker is hitting shots too.
The USA leads 59-50 with five mins left in the third quarter.
Point guard Jrue Holiday has come out firing with two lay-ups.
Holiday is a vital player for the USA and was crucial in Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA title win which saw him late to join the team.
The Boomers offence has been poor to start this half.
USA up 49-45 with seven mins left in Q3.
The statistics show how tight this match is heading into the second half.
The Boomers lead USA in turnovers 9-8, that is something Australia needs to reverse.
Patty Mills is bundled over by Jrue Holiday.Credit:AP
The rebound count is 18-17 and offensive rebounds favour the Boomers 6-5 but the USA has seven “second-chance points†and those are the points from offensive rebounds. Take away those points and Australia is comfortably ahead.
The second half is about to start. The Boomers might be 20 minutes of game time from the gold medal game or another suspenseful bronze medal game.
As the Boomers have said all through this campaign GVO! That stands for Gold Vibes Only.
The Boomers have been so close to medals before and missed out, so there are many past players watching on from home and abroad today.
Several of them are working out some of the pre-game nerves via social media.
I liked these couple of tweets.
The Boomers have done so well in this second quarter but they have given up three vital offensive rebounds in this quarter which have resulted in the USA scoring.
The USA are on a 16-4 run heading into half-time and there is now nothing in this match.
Jayson Tatum made a late three and missed another on the buzzer that would have tied the scores.
Dante Exum attempts a dunk.Credit:Getty Images
Offensive rebounds and turnovers are fuel for the fire when it comes to the USA’s offence.
Australia have to cut these out of this game if they want to win.
But they are up at half-time and could be playing far better.
Dante Exum leads the Boomers with 10 points, while Kevin Durant leads the USA with 15 points.
Tough foul on Matisse Thybulle but in FIBA basketball if you foul someone and their team has a clear lay-up, the referees can call it an unsportsmanlike foul.
That just happened to Thybulle but thankfully USA only made the free throws and didn’t score on their possession.
Matisse Thybulle defends Draymond Green.Credit:Getty Images
What matters here is that Thybulle is now in danger of being thrown out of the game if he gets a technical foul or another unsportsmanlike foul.
Think of it as a yellow card in soccer.
The Boomers up 44-31 with three minutes left in the second quarter. This game is flying by at incredible speed.
Dante Exum has made his second three. He is up to 10 points.
Then Matisse Thybulle made a lay-up and a free throw.
Nic Kay rebounds ahead of Khris Middleton.Credit:Getty Images
The Boomers are up by 13 points. Danger signs for USA.
Now Landale has thrown down a dunk for Australia.
Someone needs to pinch me, this must be a dream.
The Boomers have dominated this quarter 19-8 and lead 41-26 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
Nick Kay was clearly tripped as he drove against USA forward Khris Middleton who was late to join the USA after playing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA championship win.
There was no foul called despite the Australian big man sprawling along the floor.
The Boomers’ bench was furious and have been hit with a bench technical foul. The positive was that the USA were sure to get a dunk at the other end, and instead they have the ball.
Goorjian called a time-out to calm things down.
Kay and Dante Exum have come up with some huge defensive plays; Exum drew a charge on Devin Booker.
The Boomers are up 31-23 with six minutes to go in the second quarter.
Boomers guard Chris Goulding has made a second three early in this second term and now been fouled on a three-point attempt.
Goulding is a veteran for the Boomers and a star in the NBL. He is making a difference in his minutes.
At quarter-time, Boomers coach Brian Goorjian read his side the riot act about defensive breakdowns, and he knows they can’t give the USA any extra chances to score.
“You would have thought they were 12 down the way he was addressing the team,†Australian great Andrew Gaze said during commentary.
“He was upset with some of the rotations on the defensive end that led to plays on the rim and easy opportunities around the basket. Just making sure that he holds everyone accountable.â€
The Boomers are up 29-22 with eight minutes to go in the second quarter.
1 of 3
0 Response to "Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates Australian Boomers take slim lead over Team USA"
Post a Comment