Australia's Olympic Boomers team coughed up a 24-point lead against Serbia in its Olympic Basketball quarterfinal on Tuesday, despite an epic Patty Mills shot to send the game into overtime.
Australia were on fire from the jump, scoring 12 unanswered points to close the first quarter and build a 14-point buffer. The Boomers continued where they left off in the second, expanding their margin by another ten points, before Serbia began to wrestle back momentum.
With three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic at the helm, it's no surprise that Serbia had the capability to close Australia's lead. However, the Boomers went cold and Serbia regained the lead as early as the third quarter.
So who underperformed, and who carried the team throughout a poor second half? We've graded every player's performance.
Dyson Daniels: D
Daniels played his worst game for the Olympics in the quarterfinal, unable to score in 20 minutes of action, with just two shots to his name. Managing just one assist, Daniels was unimpactful offensively. His saving grace was his defensive efforts, recording four steals, yet his inability to hit the scoreboard in an elimination match sees him graded a D overall.
Matthew Dellavedova: D+
In 11 minutes of action, Dellavedova struggled to get himself into the action, missing his two shot attempts. He was fairly active on the glass, grabbing three rebounds, one of which was an offensive board.
Dante Exum: A-
Once again, Exum showed his NBA quality off the bench for the Boomers. Due to Daniels' poor performance, Exum was rewarded with his most minutes for the tournament, and played an efficient game as shooting guard. Exum knocked down four buckets plus four free-throws to score 12 points, on 57% shooting from the field and 80% from the stripe. Exum was also able to find open teammates, recording a team-high five assists, and recorded Australia's lone block for the evening.
Josh Giddey: A-
Giddey had his best night as an Olympic Boomer on Tuesday, with a scoring performance that prompted Australia's fast start. Giddey continued to pluck away on the scoreboard in the second half too, finishing the night with 25 points on 11-20 shooting. Giddey was solid fundamentally, securing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. His only downfall was a rough ball-handling night, giving up seven turnovers.
Nick Kay: D
Despite starting, Kay was quickly removed from the rotation against Serbia, playing just eight minutes. Kay missed his sole three-point attempt and recorded a steal and two rebounds, however his bench counterparts in Will Magnay and Duop Reath played stronger from the centre position when he was off the court.
Jock Landale: D+
Landale had an underwhelming performance compared to the consistency displayed in his outings beforehand. Landale recorded his personal lowest score since the Olympics began, shooting just 2-6 for five points. He also found himself in foul trouble, bowing out late in the fourth quarter after receiving his fifth for the match.
Will Magnay: C+
Magnay was solid when on the court, reining in six rebounds in his 13 minutes of play, three of which were offensive boards. He also produced two assists and pickpocketed two steals in his impactful stint on the hardwood.
Jack McVeigh: B+
McVeigh was a lights-out catch-and-shoot weapon for Australia versus Serbia. Remaining on the wings or in the corner, McVeigh nailed three triples on 60% efficiency, 62.5% overall for the match. He hit a couple of momentum-altering deep shots that kept the Aussies ahead or alive, playing his role off the bench perfectly. Unfortunately, McVeigh struggled defensively, recording four fouls.
Patty Mills: A+
Mills left it all on the floor in potentially his last ever Olympics game. The Aussie hero once again stepped up to the challenge in crunch time, delivering a match-tying fadeaway over Jokic to send the game into overtime.
Mills scored a team-high 26 points for the match, including two early threes that boosted Australia out to their early lead. He shot 11-21 for the match, and also snagged two steals to his name.
The Boomers were unable to get the job done for Mills, but he will bow out of this Olympics knowing he gave his all until the final buzzer. It was one last classic performance from Mills that will only enhance his Boomer legacy.
Duop Reath: C+
Reath was finally rewarded with court time against Serbia, and was able to capitalise on his opportunities. Reath scored seven points on 3-4 shooting, and collected four defensive rebounds for the night.
With the OT loss, Australia are eliminated from the Olympic tournament, unable to improve on their Tokyo Olympics bronze medal. Serbia's 95-90 win sees them advance to the semi-finals, where they take on the United States, who are coming off a landslide 122-87 victory.
