Mills leads all scorers as Boomers bow out of World Cup

Callan Morse Published September 4, 2023 at 3.30pm (AWST)

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Patty Mills top scored with 19 points in the Boomers 16-point victory over Georgia. (Image: Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)

Patty Mills has lead Australia to victory in the final game of their FIBA World Cup campaign against Georgia.

Mills top scored for the Boomers with 19 points on 50 per cent shooting, 16 of which came in the first half of play.

The proud Gugada, Nagi Agal, Dharawal, and Meriam man also dished out five assists, collected two rebounds and a steal in 29 minutes of action in Australia's final group match of the tournament.

He was well supported by fellow guard Dante Exum, who scored 18 as many points in as many minutes and Boomers newcomer Josh Giddey, who scored 15 points in 25 minutes of action.

The trio were three of five Boomers to reach double figures in the comfortable 16-point victory.

However the victory comes in vein with the Boomers are unable to progress to the quarter final stage after losing to Slovenia on Friday and Germany earlier in the tournament.

The world number three ranked Boomers finished their campaign with a 3-2 record.

Following the game, Mills said although disappointed in the overall result, he and his teammates have their eye firmly fixed on next year's Paris Olympic Games.

"It's definitely a disappointing result for a major tournament from our part, but it was important to us as a playing group that we came out and finished this thing right, finished with a win," Mills said on ESPN's coverage.

Mills and Ingles represent the beating heart of the Boomers, with the pair looking to represent Australia at Olympic level for a fifth time in Paris next year. (Image: Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)

"The positives for us is that we've got the Olympics 10 months away and for us to keep building on what we've started from a foundation point, six weeks ago, into a very strong Olympics.

"You haven't seen the best of us, we'll get away from this now and get back together soon and Paris Olympics is what our goal is."

Mills was one of nine current NBA players on the Boomers roster, which was expected to go deeper in to the tournament than the group stage.

Following the victory, coach Brian Goorjian defended the Boomers' performance after they finished third at the Tokyo Olympics just two years ago.

"I've read a lot, respect everyone's opinion," Goorjian said.

"I said to the group inside, 'I'm not embarrassed'.

"This isn't a continuation of rose gold (the Olympic bronze medal team) and I knew when I re-signed to come back to this that I'd have to do some nasty stuff and we'd be in a position of change.

"It's not just five new guys; it's major pieces."