FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019: Scores and highlights from Spain vs. Australia and Argentina vs. France

Scott Rafferty

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FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019: Scores and highlights from Spain vs. Australia and Argentina vs. France image

The finals of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup is now set.

While Spain defeated Australia in an instant classic, Argentina cruised to victory over France to advance to the final stage of the tournament. It was a big day for current and former NBA players, as Marc Gasol, Patty Mills, Luis Scola and Frank Ntilikina each stepped up for their respective countries.

If you missed any of the action, check below for scores, stats and highlights from both semi-finals matchups.

Spain 95, Australia 88

Led by Toronto Raptors centre Marc Gasol, who scored a team-high 33 points, Spain outlasted Australia in a double overtime thriller to advance to the FIBA World Cup finals for the first time since 2006.

Gasol was one of three players to score in double figures for Spain, the others being Phoenix Suns guard Ricky Rubio, who finished with 19 points and 12 assists, and Sergio Llull, who scored 17 points off the bench. The three of them were responsible for nearly three-quarters of Spain's scoring in the game.

San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills once again paved the way for Australia, exploding for a game-high 34 points in 45 minutes of play. Andrew Bogut nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, but the other NBA players on Australia's roster struggled — Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Aron Baynes and Mitch Creek combined for only 18 points on 6-for-27 shooting from the field.

Turnovers were a problem for Australia, as the Boomers coughed the ball up 22 times, leading to 25 points for Spain.

Argentina 80, France 66

Luis Scola did it again.

After going for 20 points and five rebounds in Argentina's quarter-finals win over Serbia, the former Houston Rockets forward dominated France with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Scola did so on 8-for-17 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line.

France's dynamic duo of Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert and Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier, meanwhile, struggled. Gobert was limited to only three points following his monster showing against Team USA in the quarter-finals and Fournier missed 11 of his 17 shot attempts.

Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum also struggled in the loss, scoring three points on 1-for-6 shooting in his 29 minutes of action.

Along with Fournier, New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina was France's leading scorer with 16 points.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.