Australia’s secret weapon emerges in last-second win over France amid injury concern

The Boomers have wrapped up their preparation for the Paris Games in dramatic fashion as they secured a last-second victory over France.

The Boomers won a thriller.

The Boomers have wrapped up their preparation for the Paris Games in dramatic fashion, securing a last-second victory over France in their final warm-up game.

Australia was trailing 82-81 with 2.5 seconds on the clock before Josh Giddey, who was called the ‘SLOB Wizard’ during his time at Oklahoma City, proved why that nickname will continue to stick as he picked the perfect moment on the sideline out of bounds pass to find Dyson Daniels for the go-ahead score.

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SLOB King to DD FTW!
Boomers top France 83-82 in their last Olympic warm up before the real fun starts!
Another Giddey masterpiece, 20-8-6, Patty Mills led all scorers with 24 and Dyson Daniels had 5 steals and 5 dimes to go with his 14 points.
Best believe! pic.twitter.com/bDBpNESLcx

— Michael Randall (@MickRandallHS) July 21, 2024

It was surprising though just how open Daniels got, with a quick spin move from the Bendigo product seeing him get in front of the France defence before hitting the game-winner.

Daniels has been a revelation in Australia’s four warm-up games after making the World Cup squad last year but playing limited minutes.

It is clear Brian Goorjian has more trust in Daniels this time around and he is giving the Boomers coach no reason to question that, finishing the game against France with 14 points, five assists and just as many steals.

Daniels has been an absolute game-changer on defence but that was always expected to some extent given he has already established himself as one of the NBA’s most underrated players on that end of the floor.

You can watch match highlights in the video at the top of the page

It is Daniels’ development and growing confidence with the ball in hand which is an added bonus for the Boomers.

It makes it easier for Goorjian to commit to more minutes for Daniels and his disruptive defence without sacrificing too much scoring, with the 21-year-old going 2-for-4 from deep and shooting 6-for-9 from the field in Monday morning’s win.

Daniels’ defence, of course, will also only further allow the Boomers to play the style of basketball they want to, with his stops creating transition opportunities as was the case in the first quarter when he broke up a pass which then led to a Patty Mills four-point play.

The Australian Boomers are up against France in their final warmup game before the Paris Olympics, and Dyson Daniels continues to make material impact with his elite defence. It turns into a Patty Mills four-point play. pic.twitter.com/Pfxot1n5RU

— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) July 21, 2024

Speaking of Mills, he is starting to catch fire at the right moment after another impressive shooting display.

The veteran guard had a team-high 24 points, going 3-for-7 from downtown and 7-for-9 from the field, as he continues to put a concerning shooting slump earlier in the month behind him.

Mills had looked a shadow of his former self in exhibition games against China and was similarly ineffective as a shooter in Australia’s loss to Team USA in Abu Dhabi.

Dante Exum appeared to have hurt his hand or finger & immediately went to the locker room. Didn't see him returning to the bench for the rest of the first half... pic.twitter.com/LZCndcYcTP

— Panda Hank (@pandahank41) July 21, 2024

But Mills has since rebounded in a big way, first inspiring the Boomers to victory against Serbia before adding 15 points in the win against Puerto Rico.

Giddey, meanwhile, continued to impress with his ability to get downhill and into the paint as the Bulls guard recorded 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, just as many blocks and seven turnovers.

There are injury concerns to come out of the game though, with Dante Exum appearing to suffer a suspected dislocated finger and failing to return.

Jock Landale also only played nine minutes and was spotted sitting on the bench in the second half, although it is unclear at this stage whether he suffered an injury or was just rested as a precaution.

Originally published as Australia’s secret weapon emerges in last-second win over France amid injury concern