Utah Jazz: Aussies Push Team USA, France Escapes Scrappy Serbia
Utah Jazz players Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert and Boris Diaw are making waves at the Olympic Games.
When Utah Jazz wing Joe Ingles and the Australian national team made the trip to Rio de Janeiro, they did so with one goal–to bring an Olympic medal back to the Land Down Under. Through three games in Rio, Ingles and the Boomers appear to be well on their way to accomplishing that goal.
After winning their first two games in impressive fashion, the Aussies faced a showdown with Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Team USA on Wednesday. It was the first time in these games that the Americans were truly tested by their competition.
The US stormed out of the gate, with Anthony pushing his team to an early lead with three-point shots. However, Ingles responded with five straight points to get the Aussies going. At that point, Australia took over, leading the game for most of the first two periods and taking a 54-49 advantage into halftime.
The game remained close until the contest’s final moments when a Kyrie Irving three over Ingles pushed the Americans’ lead to 83-76. Team USA never looked back, hanging on to capture a 98-88 win.
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Nevertheless, it was an impressive performance from the Aussies, who have looked like the best team in the field after the Americans.
Ingles finished with seven points and three rebounds in the game, despite being plagued by foul trouble throughout. Anthony led all scorers with 31 points and passed LeBron James to become Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition. Patty Mills paced the Aussies with 30 points of his own.
Meanwhile, Jazz big men Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw and the French team continued to progress in a positive direction, capturing the win over a scrappy Serbian squad.
With France trailing Serbia in the closing minutes of the game, Tony Parker hit a tough game-winner from the left wing. Serbia had a last chance to win at the buzzer, but Bogdan Bogdanovic’s shot missed the mark by whiskers.
Among Jazz players, Gobert had three points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Diaw just missed a triple-double with11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
France’s Nando De Colo led all players with 22 points.
While Gobert’s stats don’t leap off of the box score, he had an excellent overall game. He continued his strong defensive performance in the Olympics, with Serbia only finding success in the paint while the Stifle Tower was on the bench.
As for Diaw, the newest Jazzman is making a case for more minutes with the Jazz this coming season. His passing is unique for a big man, but his overall perimeter defense is what has impressed me specifically in this Olympics.
Diaw can easily hedge out and defend beyond the three-point line. This is particularly important for the Jazz to maintain their defensive flexibility.
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Next: Utah Jazz Players Ballin' at the Rio Olympics
Next up for France is Venezuela on Friday at 7:30 PM Mountain Time, while the Boomers will face China at 11:30 AM on that same day.