After losing to Brazil 90-86 at Rod Laver Arena, Australia’s Basketball World Cup preparations have hit a snag.
Key facts:
- Patty Mills and veteran Joe Ingles combined to miss 17 of their 20 shots as Australia lost 90-86 despite leading by seven points at the end of the third quarter.
- On Thursday, Australia takes on South Sudan in preparation for the World Cup, which begins on Friday.
The Boomers struggled early in the international game on Wednesday night in Melbourne, but they recovered to lead by seven points at the halfway mark before being outclassed 26-15 in the final period.
Australia’s leading scorer was Josh Giddey (20 points, 10 rebounds), while Nick Kay and Duop Reath each scored 10 points to stand out.
On the other end, the Boomers had trouble stopping big Bruno Caboclo (20 points, 12 rebounds), while the visitors made 45% of their three-point attempts thanks to veteran Vitor Benite’s five-of-seven three-point shooting.
They have numerous big men who can shoot, according to Ingles.
“We must clean up. We’ll watch it, improve, and prepare for tomorrow.
The third-ranked Boomers, who on Monday defeated Venezuela by 56 points, knew that the 13th-ranked Brazilians would be a more difficult opponent.
The Australians struggled to get going, falling behind 9-2 early on and behind 23-13 at the end of the first quarter.
Kay ended the streak, making back-to-back three-pointers to cut Brazil’s lead to two points at the half after making just one of their first 14 three-point tries.
