This Tuesday, the third and final date of Group E of the 2023 Basketball World Cup took place at the Okinawa Arena. Hosts Japan hosted the always dangerous Australia selection in a game that would define second place in the group. Both teams accumulated a balance of 1:1.
From the first quarter of the game, the representatives of the “land of kangaroos” used their authority on the scoreboard, putting in some impressive defensive work and some decent field-goal percentages.
Despite having a high score of 109-89, the teams led by Tom Wayne Hovasse maintained good shooting rates, with a 48% accuracy rate.
The key to the victory of the Oceanian team was the excellent defensive work, which forced the rivals to lose 15 turnovers, which they knew how to make the most of to convert 21 points on the counter, the result of the turnover.
The young men who play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Josh Giddey and Xavier Cooks, were the top offensive players of the winning team with 24 and 26 points, respectively, and combined 21 rebounds and 11 assists. As if that wasn’t enough, both boasted over a 50% TC percentage. Josh Green, Nick Kay, and Patty Mills also topped the double-digit scores.
For Japan, Joshua Hawkinson played a great individual game that was not enough for his team to win. He finished the game with 33 points and 7 rebounds. NBA player Yuta Watanabe also put in a great performance of 24 points and 7 rebounds in nearly 37 minutes of play.
On the other hand, in the same Group E, Germany overtook Finland to remain unbeaten in the tournament, qualifying first with a record of three wins without losses. The Germans are second in the FIBA ​​rankings and, alongside the USA, are among the clear favorites for the coveted World Cup.
