Basketball Showcase 2024 Abu Dhabi: Boomers beat Serbia 84-73

The Australian men’s basketball team picked up an 84-73 win against Serbia to wrap up the USA Basketball Showcase 2024 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Boomers’ captain Patty Mills led from the front against the world No. 4 Serbia, scoring 28 points and seven field goals, alongside five assists. Dante Exum and youngster Josh Giddey were on top of their game as well, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively.

For the Serbians, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic notched 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Filip Petrusev was their top-scorer with 17 points.

Patty Mills’ near-perfect performance helped the world No. 5 Boomers take a five-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. Mills, who represents the Miami Heat in the NBA, picked up eight points and scored with both his three-pointer attempts.

However, Serbia displayed some dominance towards the end of the second quarter, ending the half with a one-point lead.

The Boomers switched gears after the break. Mills and Giddey led Australia’s charge as they re-established their lead by three points. The lead going back and forth between the teams continued in the final quarter as well, with Serbia briefly edging ahead in the early minutes.

However, the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists broke free in the final few minutes to finish the match on a strong note. They also held the Serbians to only 14 points in the quarter, ensuring a morale-boosting victory ahead of the Summer Games in France.

The USA Basketball Showcase served as a preparatory event for the Boomers ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. They faced the USA earlier at the same venue and went down fighting against the 16-time Olympic basketball winners.

The Australian men’s basketball team, also the reigning FIBA Asia Cup champions, had also clinched the Ford Ballin’ 24 basketball tournament before heading to Abu Dhabi.

Australia will play Spain in their Paris 2024 Olympics opener on July 27 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.

The Boomers squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics includes eight members of the Tokyo 2020 bronze medal-winning team.