Paris 2024 Olympics basketball: Boomers lose 93-83 to Canada

The Australian men’s basketball team endured a 93-83 loss to Canada in its second Group A game at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday.

Playing at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, the Boomers looked in control at the halfway mark but a disappointing third quarter followed by a disastrous fourth, saw the Tokyo 2020 bronze medal winners suffer a loss.

Josh Giddey, with 19 points and seven rebounds, was the standout player for the Boomers while Jock Landale, the hero of the Boomers’ win over Spain in the first match, contributed with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

RJ Barrett (24 points) and Dillon Brooks (16) led the lines for Canada.

The result sees Canada top Group A with four points from two games while Australia and Spain are level on three. The Boomers will take on bottom-placed Greece in its third and final group-stage match at the Paris 2024 Olympics basketball tournament on Friday at the same venue.

The top two basketball teams from each group and two best third-placed teams from all three groups will make the quarter-finals.

The opening quarter was an end-to-end affair with both sides exchanging baskets. Eventually, it was the world No. 3 Boomers who had their noses ahead at 28-26 as the opening period ended. Giddey himself accounted for 10 points in the quarter and had a couple of rebounds.

World No. 5 Canada started the second quarter well and managed to go ahead briefly but a strong finish by the Boomers saw them take a four-point lead into the second half.

Canada, who beat Greece 86-79 in the first game, came out all guns blazing in the third quarter. With the Australian shooters struggling to find baskets, the Canadians built up a 10-point lead at 66-56.

Just when it looked like the match was slipping away, though, some tireless running from Dante Exum and Jock Landale’s physicality under the basket dragged the Boomers back into the contest.

Jack McVeigh sunk two late three-pointers late in the quarter to make it a two-point game heading into the final quarter, with the score reading 72-70 in Canada’s favour.

The Boomers, however, unravelled in the final quarter and managed just two points in the first six minutes of the quarter, allowing Canada to build up a healthy lead at 83-72.

The phase of play proved detrimental for Patty Mills and Co., who ended up losing the match by 10 points.