Revenge is a dish best served cold and Slovenia cheffed it up on Friday night, cruising past the Boomers 91-80 to eliminate Australia from medal contention at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Australia had broken Slovenia's hearts at the Tokyo Olympic Games, defeating Luka Doncic and his men in the Bronze medal game to claim their first medal at the Olympics. Doncic and his crew returned the favour with a comfortable victory at the World Cup.
Doncic, who struggled with foul trouble throughout, finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Mike Tobey bludgeoned the Boomers inside, posting a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Tobey's efforts led to the 39-31 advantage Slovenia enjoyed on in the rebounding category.
Josh Giddey came alive in the second half to score a game-high 25 points in the loss. Patty Mills added 17 points. The Boomers were never really able to find the touch from the floor and the final shooting numbers of 44.0 percent from the field and 33.0 percent were flattered by some late scores in garbage time.
Next up for Slovenia is a date with Germany for first place in Group K. Australia will do battle with Georgia.
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the game on demand by signing up for a Courtside 1891 account here. Use discount code TSN10WC for savings. Or see the play-by-play below.
MORE: Josh Green says Boomers have clear goal at 2023 World Cup
Australia vs. Slovenia score, result
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Australia | 18 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 80 |
| Slovenia | 28 | 21 | 17 | 25 | 91 |
Full boxscore here.
Australia vs. Slovenia live score, updates, highlights
End of game: Slovenia 91, Australia 80
11:48 p.m. — Ball game, Australia's World Cup dream is over.
11:48 p.m. — Game getting away from Australia as Prepelic drills a 3. The lead extends to 81-66 for Slovenia with 3:29 left to play. Australia just doesn't have the firepower to come back in this one. Giddey and Mills tried their best, but it won't be good enough.
11:42 p.m. — The Boomers fought to get it within four and Slovenia responded with a 7-2 run to push the lead back out to 73-64. Luka Doncic checks back into the game with his four fouls. Big moments here and the most important of the tourney for Australia with 6:51 to play in the game.
11:38 p.m. — Ten minutes of regulation to play. Australia's World Cup hopes are on the line, let's see if the Boomers can complete the comeback win. They've trailed by as many as 14 points and have never led in the game.
End of the third quarter: Slovenia 66, Australia 62
11:34 p.m. — Josh freakin' Giddey. Giddey took over the third period putting his head down and driving to the rim. He scored 14 of his 20 points in the frame to get Australia back into it. Australia's defence is finally picking up and we have a four-point game. Slovenia leads 66-62.
11:16 p.m. — Wow! Big moment in this one. Patty Mills with a heads up play, dribbling in front of Luka Doncic who was jogging back on defense slowly. Doncic picks up the foul, it's his fourth and one more from being DQ'd. Surprisingly, Luka stays in the game!
11:13 p.m. — The second half starts with a Mike Tobey three. The Boomers' World Cup hopes are on thin ice here. Slovenia up 54-40 with 8:18 to play.
Halftime: Slovenia 49, Australia 40
10:59 p.m. — A forgettable half for the Boomers and they head to the break lucky to be down just nine. Turnovers have been costly for Australia with six of them leading to 11 points for Slovenia. The Boomers are shooting just 39.0 percent from the field and that's an improvement to the touch they showed early on.
Mike Tobey has led the way for Slovenia with 13 points, eight rebounds. Luka Doncic has just six points, five assists and four rebounds. Doncic had to sit the majority of the second frame with foul trouble.
Patty Mills is leading the way for the Boomers with 14 points. Xavier Cooks who had a big performance against Japan has been held scoreless and reboundless in just six minutes of play.
10:50 p.m. — Now Zoran Dragic picks up a tech for a flop. He tried to draw a foul on a 3-point attempt and flopped his way into a tech. Slovenia still up 39-31 with 4:04 to play.
10:45 p.m. — Timeout on the floor with 6:09 to play in the half. Slovenia up 34-25 as the Boomers are just trying to find some rhythm in this one. Boomers shooting just 33.0 percent from the floor and they've allowed Slovenia to shoot a red-hot 58.0 percent.
10:41 p.m. — Wow! Luka Doncic picks up a tech. That tech will be his third foul in the game and he has to sit. This could be a big momentum shift for the Boomers. 34-23 Slovenia lead. Can the Boomers win the non-Luka minutes?
10:39 p.m. — Start of the second period and the Boomers just look out of sorts in a game they have to have to keep their World Cup dreams alive. Slovenia seemingly getting anything they want and look a lot more comfortable than the Boomers do at the moment. Something has to change for Australia. Slovenia up 34-20 with 7:55 to play in the half.
End of First quarter: Slovenia 28, Australia 18
10:34 p.m. — A first quarter that was dominated by Slovenia ends with a 28-18 score. Mike Tobey has bullied the Boomers inside. Luka Doncic has been quiet by his standards happy to move the ball and get his teammates involved. The Boomers' offence has looked stagnant and they've missed makable shots only shooting 17.0 percent from three.
10:28 p.m. — Brian Goorjian went to his bench early and decided to have his team show hard on any pick-and-roll situation. The problem? Slovenia is dismantling the Boomers with precision passing. Time out on the floor, Slovenia up 28-17 with 1:57 to play in the first.
10:19 p.m. — Real good pace to start. Australia makes the first sub of the game going small with Xavier Cooks off the bench replacing Duop. Giddey starts the game going 3-for-3 for six points — he's come to play. Slovenia still leads 15-13 with 5:05 to play.
10:12 p.m. — Off we go! Slovenia starts the game with a Doncic bucket and it's followed by a Dragic three. Josh Green gets the Boomers on the board first with a dunk. 6-4 in favour of Slovenia early in the first.
10:10 p.m. — Starting five for the Boomers, Giddey, Mills, Green, Nick Kay, Duop Reath. For Slovenia, Doncic, Zoran Dragic, Aleksej Nikolic, Bine Preplic and Mike Tobey.
Pregame
10:06 p.m. — Who will guard Luka Doncic? Andrew Gaze says on the World Feed broadcast that he expects Josh Giddey to guard Doncic to start the game. Giddey's size is the reason.
10:00 p.m. — Xavier Cooks is coming off an impressive performance against Japan where he dominated the paint finishing with 24 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. TSN's Benyam Kidane wrote about his impact and how it will be the key to the Boomers' World Cup success.
9:51 p.m. — "You live for games like this. This is where the passion comes pouring out," Patty Mills told ESPN before tonight's game. Mills was part of the squad that beat Slovenia at the Olympics in Tokyo. Can the Boomers make it two in a row?
9:47 p.m. — It's been a day full of upsets already in the second round of the FIBA World Cup. Italy got beat Serbia, 78-76. Latvia, yes Latvia, upset the defending champions Spain, 74-69. Will the Boomers hold serve against Luka Magic and Slovenia?
What channel is Australia vs. Slovenia on?
- Date: Friday, Sept. 1
- Time: 10:10 p.m. AEST
- TV channel: ESPN/Kayo Sports
- Live Stream: Courtside 1891
The Australian Boomers take on Slovenia on Friday, Sept. 1. The game is scheduled to start around 10:10 p.m. AEST. The game will be played at Okinawa Arena.
The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will air in Australia on ESPN/Kayo Sports. The tournament will also be available to stream on FIBA Basketball's official streaming service, Courtside 1891. It offers two subscriptions.
Courtside 1891 Plus is free and gives you access to "extended highlights and a curated feed for your favorite teams." Courtside 1891 Max is a paid subscription that allows you to watch "live game streams and full game replays." Use code TSN10WC to receive a 10 percent discount for Courtside 1891.
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If you just want to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup, you can buy a pass for the entire tournament for $24.99 (AUD). An annual pass, which includes the FIBA Basketball World Cup and other international competitions, costs $49.99 (AUD).
MORE: Everything you need to know about FIBA's streaming service
Australian Boomers schedule at 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
The second round of the Group Phase at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. The Final Phase, or knockout round, begins on Sept. 5 with the third-place and golden medal game scheduled for Sept. 10.
Here is an updated look at Australia's schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (AEST)/Result |
| Friday, Aug. 25 | vs Finland | Australia 98, Finland 72 |
| Sunday, Aug. 27 | vs Germany | Germany 85, Australia 82 |
| Tuesday, Aug. 29 | vs Japan | Australia 109, Japan 89 |
| Friday, Sept. 1 | vs Slovenia | 10:10 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 3 | vs Georgia | 5:30 p.m. |
Australian Boomers roster for 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
Here are the players who will represent the Australian Men's National Team at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
| Number | Player | Age | Height/Weight | Position | Team |
| 5 | Patty Mills | 34 | 6-0, 180 lbs. | G | Hawks |
| 3 | Josh Giddey | 20 | 6-8, 216 lbs. | G | Thunder |
| 1 | Dyson Daniels | 20 | 6-7, 199 lbs. | G | Pelicans |
| 4 | Chris Goulding | 34 | 6-4, 203 lbs. | G | Melb United |
| 11 | Dante Exum | 28 | 6-5, 214 lbs. | G | Mavericks |
| 6 | Josh Green | 22 | 6-7, 200 lbs. | G | Mavericks |
| 2 | Matisse Thybulle | 26 | 6-5, 201 lbs. | F | Trail Blazers |
| 7 | Joe Ingles | 35 | 6-8, 220 lbs. | F | Magic |
| 9 | Xavier Cooks | 27 | 6-8, 183 lbs. | F | Wizards |
| 10 | Jack White | 25 | 6-7, 225 lbs. | F | Thunder |
| 15 | Nick Kay | 31 | 6-9, 234 lbs. | F | Shimane Susanoo Magic |
| 26 | Duop Reath | 27 | 6-11, 245 lbs. | C | Al Riyadi Beirut |
