From the moment Australia’s Patty Mills stepped on the court to play for the Boomers, he was always going to be in the spotlight. However, it was a surprise to many when he was selected to play for the team, rather than the more experienced Joe Ingles. Averaging only 14 minutes a game, he was expected to be a role player.
The Australian men’s basketball team won bronze at the Rio Olympic Games, which was the first time a men’s basketball team from Down Under had ever won an Olympic medal in any event.
The Australian men’s basketball team stole a gold medal from Spain in Rio, the country’s first Olympic men’s basketball medal, after beating Lithuania 96-92 in the final. Patty Mills had a spectacular game for Australia, scoring 42 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Boomers advanced to the gold medal game.. Read more about how many gold medals has patty mills won and let us know what you think.
SAITAMA, JAPAN – SAITAMA, JAPAN – With a 107-93 win against Slovenia in the third-place game on Saturday, Patty Mills scored 42 points to lead Australia to its first Olympic medal in men’s basketball.
After four fourth-place finishes, Mills, the team captain and emotional leader of a seasoned core that knew its moment had come after so much sorrow, exchanged lengthy embraces with teammates in a postgame celebration that finally arrived after so much pain.
Joe Ingles added 16 points for the Australians, who finished fourth last year but were unstoppable this time.
Mills remarked, “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.” “I’m not sure whether I should laugh, weep, or grin. It’s a rollercoaster of feelings.”
Slovenia lost its second consecutive game after winning its first 17 games in the tournament with Luka Doncic in the lineup. Doncic scored 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, but he also had seven turnovers.
After four fourth-place finishes, Patty Mills and the Australian men’s basketball team finally won their first Olympic medal, earning bronze after defeating Slovenia’s Luka Doncic. Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox
Slovenia trimmed a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to 83-80 when Doncic made a 3-pointer with 6:18 left in his first Olympics.
The Australians, who couldn’t maintain a 15-point lead over the United States in the semifinals, weren’t about to let this one slip away. They scored seven consecutive points to go back into double digits, then blasted it wide open in the final minutes.
They completed it in front of the United States and France, who returned to Saitama Super Arena for the medal presentation after the Americans defeated the French 87-82 earlier in the day.
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Mills had a strong desire for the Australians to be there at this event. Even after agreeing to sign with the Brooklyn Nets throughout the week, he refused to discuss his own NBA future because he demanded his squad focus on just one objective.
After a 97-78 defeat to the United States two days before, he scored 26 points in the first half to ensure there would be no lingering disappointment for Australia.
Doncic, who entered the game averaging 24.2 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, had a spectacular first Olympics. He recorded 48 points in Slovenia’s opening, tied for the second-most by a men’s player in the Olympics, and just the third triple-double in men’s Olympic history when he had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 18 assists in the semifinals versus France.
However, the Slovenians were unable to save the game, losing 90-89 after Nicolas Batum blocked Klemen Prepelic’s shot with 2.4 seconds remaining. They attempted to put the incident behind them in order to add an Olympic bronze to their 2017 European title, but Mills and the Australians were just too talented and determined.
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The Australians’ most recent defeat, an 89-88 setback to Spain in Rio, may have been the cruelest, as Sergio Rodriguez hit two free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining after Mills was penalized for a foul on what seemed to be little or no contact.
Mills was not going to allow this one get too close for a repetition.
He scored 10 points during a 17-4 run that put the Australians up 45-35, and he seemed to be aiming for Doncic at times, bringing teammates over to set a pick so the Dallas Mavericks star would have to switch to him.
Neither Doncic nor his teammates were able to stop him.
Jock Landale scored 14 points and Dante Exum had 12 for Australia. Matisse Thybulle scored 11 points and played excellent defense in lieu of veteran Matthew Dellavedova.
Australia ended a long drought on Tuesday night, and won its first Olympic medal in men’s basketball. Coach Andrej Lemanis and his Aussie team were stunned in the quarterfinals, when the USA led them by 30 points. The upset didn’t come as a surprise to his players, however, as they knew they could beat the USA. The Aussies were confident that they could hold the USA to under 50 points, and they were right. The US struggled to hit free throws, and the Aussies took advantage, getting fantastic shot after fantastic shot. Patty Mills’ two free throws with under a minute left gave the Aussies a four-point lead that they held. With a little over a minute left in the game. Read more about how many times has patty mills been in the olympics and let us know what you think.
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