Australia vs France score, result: Boomers hold on for thrilling win ahead of FIBA Basketball World Cup

The Australian Boomers faced their toughest test so far in the lead-up to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, taking on France in Tokyo. 

After a slow start, Australia found their rhythm after half-time, outscoring France 47-35 in the second-half to secure a thrilling 78-74 win. 

Josh Giddey led five players in double-figure scoring with 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Nick Kay added 12. Dante Exum, Patty Mills, and Duop Reath finished with 11 points apiece. 

Evan Fournier had the hot hand for France, leading all scorers with 29 points, while Isaia Cordinier chipped in with 12 and Guerschon Yabusele 10. 

If you missed any of the action, The Sporting News tracked all the action from Australia vs France below.

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

Australia vs France score

Australia vs France live updates, highlights

BOX SCORE: Australia vs France

FINAL: Australia 76, France 74

3:59 p.m. — The Boomers hold on for a four-point win in Tokyo. 

3:58 p.m. — Fournier gets the layup off the inbounds play to make it 76-74 with 4.9 seconds remaining. 

3:57 p.m. — Patty Mills drains a pair of free throws to give the Boomers a four-point lead with 7.7 seconds to play.

3:56 p.m. — Fournier gets a clean look at a three in the corner, but its off and Ingles comes up with the rebound. Can the Boomers hold on?

3:52 p.m. — Big hustle play from Giddey. He misses the turnaround but rips it away from Gobert for the extra possession and Patty Mills makes them pay with the fadeaway jumper. Boomers lead 74-72.

3:49 p.m. — Gobert called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Kay. Reath checks in for Kay and shoots the free throws. We're tied up again at 72-72 with 1:08 to play. 

3:47 p.m. — Gobert lays it in over Kay and strikes the Aussie big man in the face on the way down. He heads to the bench. France lead 72-71.

3:45 p.m. — Giddey threads the needle to Kay again with the no-look bounce pass and the Boomers take the lead, 71-70.

3:44 p.m. — Exum goes bang! He drills the triple to cut the deficit to one-point. We've got a big finish coming up here in Japan. 

3:43 p.m. — Brian Goorjian brings his starters back into the game for the final 2:22 of the game. Giddey leads the Boomers with 12 points and Reath 10.

3:41 p.m. — The Boomers make the extra pass and Reath finishes it off with the two-handed SLAM over Rudy Gobert! France lead 68-66.

Duop Reath posterises Rudy Gobert #goboomers pic.twitter.com/ue1VY7K5hP

— AussieHoopla (@aussiehoopla) August 20, 2023

3:38 p.m. — Fournier checks back in for France with just under four minutes to go. He's been the best player on the floor tonight with 25 points.

3:36 p.m. — Yabusele with the foul on Mills on the 3-point line. He'll shoot a pair of free throws.

3:30 p.m. — Another steal for Thybulle! He's been everywhere today with five steals, and follows it up with the putback slam. France lead 62-60.

End of third quarter: France 58, Australia 56

3:24 p.m. — The Boomers are right back in the contest with the small ball lineup of Exum, Giddey, Ingles, White, and Cooks clamping down on the defensive end, switching everything and slowing France's offense.

Ingles goes 1-of-2 at the line to tie things up at 56-56.

3:23 p.m. — Exum gets a little revenge on Yabusele with the steal and slam to cut the lead to one-point. 

3:20 p.m. — Here come the Boomers! Jack White gets to the rim for the and-1 finish. France lead 56-53.

3:16 p.m. — Brian Goorjian getting into it with the officials as Dante Exum gets trucked out of bounds on the fastbreak by Elie Okobo. France called for an unsportsmanlike foul.

3:14 p.m. — Evan Fournier picks up his fourth foul and checks out of the game. He leads all scorers with 18 points. 

3:13 p.m. — There it is! Patty Mills gets his first triple of the night to fall. He's 1-for-8 from deep. France lead 54-48.

3:12 p.m. — Big change up for the Boomers as Giddey, Thybulle and Reath check out for Ingles, Cooks and Exum.

3:08 p.m. — Matisse Thybulle with another steal and gets out in the open floor for the two-handed slam. 

3:06 p.m. — Fournier gets fouled on the 3-point attempt by Mills, but fails to capitalise, going 1-of-3 at the line. France lead 45-38.

3:05 p.m. — Fournier stays hot with another triple to extend France's lead to 44-35.

Half-time: France 39, Australia 31

A scrappy second quarter sees the Boomers go into the break trailing by eight points. Josh Giddey and Dante Exum lead them in scoring with five points apiece. 

Evan Fournier leads all scorers with 14 points.

HT: France maintain an 8pt distance from the Aussies. Lots of work to be done in the second half.

AUS 31 | 39 FRA #WeAreBasketball pic.twitter.com/ZJeDRRi1y6

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 20, 2023

2:48 p.m. — Patty Mills' struggles from deep continue, going 0-for-7 in the first half. 

2:43 p.m. — Jack White continues to make the one percent plays defensively, coming up with another key stop on Fournier. 

2:42 p.m. — Fourneir again! He blows by Mills for the bucket and the foul. France lead 37-29.

2:40 p.m. — Big defensive play from Patty Mills as he baits Evan Fournier into the offensive foul bringing the ball out of the backcourt. That's his third foul of the game. 

2:38 p.m. — The Boomers are creating plenty of extra possessions on the offensive glass with Reath and Cooks in the frontcourt. Joe Ingles connects from downtown for just their third triple of the night (3-of-15). France lead 33-29.

2:33 p.m. — After a lights-out start offensively from France, they've yet to score in the second quarter four minutes in.

2:32 p.m. — Josh Giddey threads the needle to slice open France's defence, finding a cutting Nick Kay for the wide-open layup with the slick bounce pass. France lead 27-24.

2:31 p.m. — Jack White getting it done on both ends for the Boomers with plenty of hustle defensively in the paint. He knocks down the triple to cut France's lad to seven points. 

2:27 p.m. — A scare for the Boomers as Josh Green hobbles to the bench with an apparent leg injury. France lead 27-19.

Here is the play Josh went down on. pic.twitter.com/gVQnt5UZ7S

— The Mavs Blog (@TheMavsBlog) August 20, 2023

End of first quarter: France 27, Australia 19

Q1: A slow start for the Boomers in their first exhibition game in Japan.

AUS 19 | 27 FRA#WeAreBasketball pic.twitter.com/dcXvpt8wL3

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 20, 2023

2:20 p.m. — A defensive breakdown for the Boomers as Elie Okobo drives it baseline for the two-handed flush! France lead 23-16.

2:16 p.m. — Joe Ingles getting physical with his former Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert with a cheeky push in the back. France lead 23-11.

2:13 p.m. — The Boomers are rolling with a smaller lineup with Xavier Cooks at the five, alongside Matisse Thybulle, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, and Patty Mills. 

2:10 p.m. — Evan Fournier is ON FIRE early for France! He's got 12 of their 19 points in Q1.

2:09 p.m. — Australia is struggling to get things going offensively today with France's size advantage inside forcing some early turnovers and missed shots. France lead 17-5.

2:07 p.m. — Two quick fouls for Nick Kay. Goorj calls timeout to get the big man out of the game. Xavier Cooks checks in. 

2:05 p.m. — Fournier continues his fast start, getting to the rim for the and-1 finish and follows it up with a fastbreak layup. France lead 13-5.

2:02 p.m. — Josh Green immediately responds for the Boomers with a triple of his own. 

Josh Green strikes first. MAN that shot looks good. pic.twitter.com/g6hWEI1gOm

— The Mavs Blog (@TheMavsBlog) August 20, 2023

2:01 p.m. — Fournier splashes the triple to get the scoring underway for France. 

Pre-game

1:59 p.m. — The Boomers will start with Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Josh Green, Nick Kay, and Duop Reath.

1:58 p.m. — France will start with Nando de Colo, Evan Fournier, Guerschon Yabusele, Nic Batum, and Rudy Gobert. 

1:30 p.m. — Official update from Basketball Australia on Jock Landale's injury. 

Jock Landale underwent a MRI scan yesterday following his left ankle injury in the game vs South Sudan. Results have confirmed he sustained a lateral ankle ligament injury, and cleared him of any other significant concerns.

Jock has been ruled out of the Boomers World Cup…

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 19, 2023

What channel is Australia vs France on?

• Date: Sunday, Aug. 20
• Time: 2:00 p.m. AEST
• TV channel: 9GemHD
• Live stream: 9Now

In the lead-up to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Australia will face France on Sunday, August. 20. The game is scheduled to start around 2:00 p.m. AEST. 

The Boomers' pre-World Cup games will air on free-to-air television on 9GemHD and are available to stream on 9Now. 

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

Australian Boomers' pre-World Cup schedule

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

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 12-man roster for 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup