Australia clinched their spot in the FIBA World Cup’s second round with a 109-89 victory over co-hosts Japan, concluding the first round with a 2-1 record.
As the Boomers advance to the next stage, they are likely to face Slovenia led by Luka Doncic. Australian guard Josh Giddey shared his thoughts on the impending matchup, expressing his excitement about the challenge ahead.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Giddey commented when asked about the prospect of facing Doncic, as reported by Olgun Uluc of ESPN. “Obviously, a lot of people are here to see him. He carries a heavy load for Slovenia, so a lot of our game plan is gonna revolve around him, just like it did with Lauri [Markkanen] and Yuta [Watanabe] tonight.
“We’ve had the opportunity to play against these teams where they have a superstar or an NBA player, so Luka is obviously on a different level, but we’ve got Josh Green, Matisse [Thybulle]—those types of guys—for that job.”
Luka Doncic has been a standout performer in the World Cup, leading all players in scoring with an impressive average of 35.5 points across two games. Alongside his scoring prowess, Doncic contributes with 8.5 rebounds and 6 assists per game.