The Australian Boomers defeated the United States Men’s National Basketball Team 98-94 in front of yet another record-setting crowd of 52,079 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
There were once again two San Antonio Spurs dressed for action, but only one found glory at the end of the exhibition. Patty Mills led all scorers with 30 points on a game-high 4 three-pointers while leading the Aussies to a historic upset on their home court.
Derrick White, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Although the third-year guard made the most of his limited minutes with 8 points on 7 trips to the charity stripe, his night was cut short by a scary fall late in the fourth quarter.
Australia fought tooth and nail and trailed the United States by just one point going into halftime. Mills was held to six points through two quarters, but Joe Ingles, Andrew Bogut, Aron Baynes and some incredibly physical team defense kept the Boomers neck and neck with the Americans.
Team USA built a ten-point cushion in the third quarter, but the Australians came roaring back to take the lead. Patty exploded for 24 points in the second half, including 13 in the final frame, and carried his team to their first-ever victory over the United States.
There has been no update on Derrick White’s apparent head injury, but one has to imagine San Antonio’s front office would like to see him head home to rest and recover. At least that seems like the smart choice considering how hard injuries hit the Spurs during the 2018-2019 season.
The third-year guard never came back to the floor following his early exit and his days with the National Team may be numbered. Marcus Smart was inserted into the starting lineup in his return to action and led the U.S. in assists despite playing only 9 minutes.
The surprise defeat snapped a 78-game winning streak in major international exhibitions for Team USA and marked their first loss since they fell to Greece in the semi-finals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
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