MELBOURNE (Australia) - Australia fell short in round one of their preparation games series against Team USA, but they made up for it in their second encounter, with prolific guard Patty Mills basking in the spotlight.

Mills dropped 30 points on Team USA as the Boomers prevailed, 98-94, today at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne in front of more than 52,000 fans. It was a terrific bounce-back win for the home team, which lost to the Americans in their first meeting, 102-86.

 
Team USA head coach, who is, ironically, also Mills's head coach in the NBA, Gregg Popovich couldn't help but heave praise on Australia's explosive backcourt scoring machine in a way only he can.

"In a strange sort of way, I'm happy for him," Popovich said after the loss. "He's a wonderful human being; much better human being off the court than on the court."

As expected, Mills was elated at the result.

"It feels awesome," he said after Australia's first-ever win against Team USA. "I hope we can all build on this."

"WE WANT TO WIN MEDALS AND TITLES. THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND WE FEEL WE CAN DO SO."
- Patty Mills

Australia won't face the Americans in the first two rounds of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China, but it's certainly possible they may face each other again in the Quarter-Finals or perhaps even beyond.

Mills has credited Australia's solid showing in their preparation matches to the squad's chemistry and bond - ingredients that have enabled them to maximize their already deep talent pool.

"We are more than just a group of players, we have a great unity and we love to play with each other with the green and yellow jersey in our shoulders," he explained. "Here we are, working hard and pushing each other to reach our best level. Our bond is priceless, we are always here to support each other, and we have each other’s back no matter what."

Looking beyond this triumph over Team USA, however, Mills knows that nothing has really been accomplished yet as far as meeting their goals at the World Cup and in terms of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Australia have been drawn into what many think is the most competitive group in the entire field - Group H - together with Canada, Senegal and Lithuania.

"WE ARE VERY AMBITIOUS. PLENTY OF TEAMS CAN REACH THE TOP THREE SPOTS, BUT WE BELIEVE IN OUR POTENTIAL, EXPERIENCE AND TALENT."- Mills

"They call it the 'Group of Death', but our minds are focused on going to the next round and having a very good tournament," he declared. "Canada have a very good team and a great coach with Nick Nurse, Senegal play solid basketball and Lithuania have one of the best duos in FIBA basketball, with Jonas Valanciunas and Domas Sabonis. It's going to be three very intense games in the first round, and the battle for the first two spots is going to be very tough."

Speaking about the weight of expectations on what many see as Australia's best chance to finish on the podium and even challenge for the World Cup trophy, Mills acknowledges the pressure but remains steadfast in his confidence.

"It's going to be a great opportunity to try to shine again at the international level, and we want to get a medal and come back home with something," he said. "We are very ambitious, very motivated. Plenty of teams can reach to last three spots, but we believe in our potential, experience and talent to achieve great things this summer. We want a medal, the Boomers want a medal."

Fresh from his scintillating 30-point explosion against Team USA, Mills looks to be heralded as one of the top players heading into the World Cup, but he chooses to shed that label and put the focus on being a team player.

"I like my role, but what's most important is the team and that we win something all together," he shared. "I try, like every one of my teammates, to put intensity on both ends of the floor to help my team win. I want to keep working hard to help Australia's basketball keep improving and winning. We have a great team spirit, so now we want to win medals and titles. That is very important, and we feel that we can do so."

FIBA