The Boomers’ hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals at the Olympics will hinge on their final group game against Greece after they failed to convert a hot start into victory over the star-studded Canadians.
Australia were the better team for the opening two quarters but Canada, led by their NBA superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, powered home to win 93-83 and record their second win of the tournament.
After the Aussies dominated the first half but Josh Giddey was shut down by Canada’s armada of top-shelf perimeter defenders in the closing two quarters and the team panicked into poor passes and rushed shots.
After beating Spain first up, the Aussies are still in control of their own destiny but have to beat Greece to advance to the final eight.
Australia complete their Group A campaign against Greece on Friday night (9.30pm AEST) where they will face former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo but should have an overall talent surplus.
They matched Canada in almost every facet of the game except for turnovers. The Aussies coughed up possession 18 times, seven more than their opponents, with Canada coming up with 28 points from those blunders with the Boomers making just 10 in return.
The Boomers shot out to a 19-13 lead with Dante Exum providing some early spark after he sat out the opening win over Spain due to the compound finger dislocation he suffered in their last pre-Olympic warm-up match against France.
Canada quickly surged back to regain the lead with Dillon Brooks putting up points and also trying to get under Giddey’s skin with the noted agitator bumping the Australian guard off the ball to try to put him off his game.
It was clear why he was trying to target Giddey as he led all scorers with 10 points in the first quarter as the Aussies claimed a 28-26 lead by the first break.
“We need every f—ing loose ball,” screamed Patty Mills at his teammates as they walked into the huddle, clearly not happy that they had gifted the Canadians a few easy possessions.
With Giddey draining the first three of the second quarter, his former Oklahoma City Thunder superstar teammate in Gilgeous-Alexander responded by posting him up to sink a baseline jumper over the future Chicago Bull.
RJ Barrett rattled home a long-range jumper to give Canada a 35-33 advantage midway through the second quarter but a Dyson Daniels steal led to a dunk to Duop Reath, getting back on court after a DNP in game one, and Exum added a lay-up to regain the lead, prompting their opponents to burn a time-out.
Brian Goorjian praised his players in their break by telling them he was happy with their pace, running the floor with athleticism and keeping the tempo ticking over.
The tactics seemed to unsettle Canada with SGA and Jamal Murray more at home with a slowed pace so they can set up in the half court.
With Giddey finding Jack McVeigh for a wide open three late in the half to build on the JackJumpers forward’s impressive Olympic debut, Australia took a 49-45 margin into the break.
Giddey and SGA were going toe to toe – the Aussie finishing the half with 15 points and his erstwhile OKC backcourt comrade leading Canada with 10, making it look easy in sinking five of six field goal attempts despite the opposition targeting him whenever he had the ball in hand.
Canada made some defensive adjustments for the third quarter, swarming Giddey, who produced only four more points for the game and with Barrett and Lu Dort finding their range from the arc, Goorjian called a halt to proceedings to stymie their momentum after trailing 58-54.
But it didn’t work. A few careless turnovers blew the lead out to 10 before Exum triggered a six-point run to cut the deficit to four.
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Australia nearly lost the last two points of their surge when Jock Landale appeared to tip the ball out of the basket while trying to rebound teammate Nick Kay’s shot.
Canada coach Jordi Fernandez challenged the call but the refa ruled on review that the ball was in the cylinder when the Houston Rockets centre accidentally got in the way.
As he did in the NBL Grand Finals series, McVeigh was fearless and he nailed a couple of timely threes late in the third quarter to ensure the Aussies trailed by just two points heading into the final term.
Australia couldn’t get into their offence in the fourth quarter and their frustration grew with Mills unleashing an off the ball hard screen on Dort which would have made The Cable Guy proud.
The refs didn’t like it and when Barrett splashed a three on the next possession, Goorjian called time with his team down nine with five minutes remaining.
After stepping on the line to turn the ball over, Exum made amends with a three and a Landale three-point play gave the Boomers hope of an unlikely late comeback.
But the Canadians kept their cool down the stretch to close out the win and reinforce their status as second favourites for the gold behind Team USA.
Giddey finished with a team-high 19 along with seven rebounds and six assists with Landale (16 points and 12 rebounds) and Exum (15) providing solid support.
However, Giddey had three turnovers with Daniels and Mills four apiece and the Boomers’ backcourt simply can’t be that reckless with the ball against any Olympic opponent, particularly a medal contender like Canada.
Even though Gilgeous-Alexander only tallied 16 points, he was ultra reliable as he picked his spots with the added bonus of Barrett leading all scorers with 24 ensuring the Boomers came up empty handed.