Australia vs. Venezuela score, result: Josh Giddey and Duop Reath combine as Boomers cruise to dominant win

The Australian Boomers got their FIBA Basketball World Cup preparations off to a flying start with a convincing 97-41 win over Venezuela in Melbourne.

After taking an 11-point lead after the first quarter, the Boomers blew the game open across the second and third quarters, outscoring Venezuela 48-11 as their suffocating defence was on full display.

Duop Reath put his best foot forward to securing a spot on the final roster, pouring in 26 points on 12-of-14 shooting, while Joe Ingles added 12 points on 3-of-6 from deep.

Starting at point guard, Josh Giddey looked more than comfortable running the show for the Boomers, flirting with a triple-double, recording 14 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.  

If you missed any of the action, The Sporting News has you covered with all the live updates, stats, and highlights from Rod Laver Arena.

MORE: Josh Green says Boomers have clear goal at 2023 World Cup

Australia vs Venezuela score

Australia vs Venezuela live score, updates, highlights

FINAL: Australia 97, Venezuela 41

9:24 p.m. — That's a wrap for the Boomers as they cruise to a 56-point win in their first pre-tournament hitout. 

9:21 p.m. — Duop Reath can't miss tonight. He drills the triple from the top of the key to make it a game-high 26 points. 

9:20 p.m. — Duop Reath and Josh Giddey doing their best Kobe and Shaq impersonation tonight. Another pick-and-roll. Another slam for Reath. Boomers lead 88-39.

9:14 p.m. — A different look for the Aussies in the frontcourt as Nick Kay checks into the game to join Jack White.

9:10 p.m. — Venezuela starting to find some offence as they reel off a 10-0 run to cut it to 79-27.

9:09 p.m. — Chris Goulding hobbling with what appears to be a knee injury. He heads to the bench. 

Chris Goulding hobbling a little, looked like he’s hurt his right knee. Second time this game he’s come up grimacing. Straight to the bench.

— Steve Smith (@stevesmithffx) August 14, 2023

End of third quarter: Australia 75, Venezuela 27

Venezuela couldn't get anything to go in Q3, scoring just four points as the Boomers' suffocating defence ramped it up even more. 

Josh Giddey flirting with a triple-double with 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. 

9:01 p.m. — Daniels lays it in for his first points of the night. Boomers lead 68-27.

8:56 p.m. — Giddey getting into it with Chourio as things begin to heat up.

8:55 p.m. — Dyson Daniels checks in for the Aussies to a huge ovation from the crowd!

8:54 p.m. — Josh Giddey soars in for the two-handed flush! Boomers lead 66-23. 

8:50 p.m. — Still no signs of Dyson Daniels for the Boomers, he remains on the bench to start the third quarter. 

Half-time: Australia 54, Venezuela 23

A dominant 27-7 quarter from the Boomers extends the lead to 31 points, led by 15 points from Duop Reath on 7-of-8 from the field. 

The Boomers extended their lead convincingly to end the first half.

Leading the pack is Reath with 15pts! 🔥

AUS 54 | 23 VEN#WeAreBasketball

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 14, 2023

8:29 p.m. — Zamora beats the buzzer with the layup to cut the lead to 31 points at the half. 

8:26 p.m. — Another airball from deep for Venezuela. They're 6-of-24 from the field and 2-of-8 from deep. 

8:25 p.m. — Duop Reath is having a field day tonight. He's up to 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. 

8:22 p.m. — Patty Mills gets the off-balance triple to go, plus the foul. Four-point play! Sheesh.

Everything is going down for the Boomers in the first half. The lead is up to 46-19.

8:20 p.m. — The Josh Giddey x Duop Reath combination is a cheat code right now!

8:17 p.m. — Reath with another jam as the Boomers make it a 12-0- run to start the second quarter to extend their lead to 39-16.

8:15 p.m. — Venezuela struggling to contain the Boomers' fastbreaks as they're called for the unsportsmanlike foul. Exum knocks down both free throws. Boomers lead 35-16.

8:14 p.m. — This Boomers' defence is giving up nothing tonight. They've forced seven turnovers and held Venezule to just 5-of-18 from the field. 

8:11 p.m. — Joe Ingles doing what Joe Ingles does, connecting on his second triple of the night! Boomers lead 30-16.

End of first quarter: Australia 27, Venezuela 16

The Boomers go into the first break with an 11-point lead thanks to a sharpshooting first quarter, knocking down 12-of-16 from the field. 

Giddey leads the scoring with seven points, while Sojo has a game-high eight points for Venezuela. 

Q1: A huge first start for the Boomers on their first hit-out of the series against Venezuela!

AUS 27 | 16 VEN #WeAreBasketball pic.twitter.com/577PVT6ZWL

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 14, 2023

8:01 p.m. — Josh Giddey looking very comfortable running the show for the Aussies, with seven points and three assists. He checks out for Dante Exum. Boomers lead 20-14.

7:59 p.m. — Brian Goorjian getting an early look at a small ball lineup as Xavier Cooks and Jack White check into the game. Cooks is the biggest player on the floor for the Aussies, alongside Mills, Giddey, Ingles and White.  

7:58 p.m. — Josh Giddey making it look easy.

Bom dia, meus amigos

Enquanto uns dormem, Josh Giddey está praticando o esporte pic.twitter.com/DXfRintWsw

— Oklahoma City Brasil 🇧🇷 (@oklahoma_br) August 14, 2023

7:56 p.m. — Joe Ingles checks into the game for Nick Kay to a raucous reception from the home crowd.

7:54 p.m. — The Boomers' defence has been airtight early in Q1, swarming the ball handlers and forcing turnovers. Venezuela is just 1-of-5 from the field to start the game. 

7:51 p.m. — Back-to-back jams for Duop Reath!

Josh Giddey has his fingerprints on the offense early tonight. Timeout Venezuela. Boomers lead 9-2.

7:50 p.m. — Sojo gets by Mills for the bucket and is fouled along the way. He misses the and-1 opportunity. Boomers lead 5-2.

7:47 p.m. — Patty Mills attacks the closeout and takes it right to the rim for the first bucket of the game. 

Pre-game

7:40 p.m. — The Boomers will start with Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Matisse Thybulle, Nick Kay, and  Duop Reath.

7:38 p.m. — Garly Sojo, Jhornan Zamora, David Cubillan, Windi Graterol, ad Nestor Colmenares.

6:39 p.m. — The Boomers have arrived.

 

 

 

 

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What channel is Australia vs Venezuela on?

• Date: Monday, Aug. 14
• Time: 7:45 p.m. AEST
• TV channels: 9GemHD | 9Now

MORE: Get tickets for Boomers vs The World pre-World Cup games in Melbourne

Australian Boomers' pre-World Cup schedule

The Boomers will have five warm-up games before the actual FIBA World Cup begins — three on home soil in Melbourne and two in Japan.

All of the Boomers' pre-tournament games will be broadcast live on the 9 network and can be streamed via 9Now.

You can find the full schedule below.

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will air in Australia on ESPN.

Viewers can live stream the tournament on Courtside 1891, FIBA's official streaming service, which is also available to purchase via the NBA App. 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." Geo-restrictions may apply to certain regions.

If you just want to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup, you can buy a pass for the entire tournament for $34.99 (AUD). An annual pass, which includes the FIBA Basketball World Cup and other international competitions, costs $49.99 (AUD).

Australian Boomers roster for 2023 World Cup 

Coming into the pre-World Cup games, the Boomers are sporting an extended roster of 13 players.

The initial squad consisted of 18 players. Five players were cut following the training camp in Cairns: Thon Maker, Sam Froling, Keanu Pinder, Matthew Dellavedova and Will McDowell-White.