Joe Ingles and Patty Mills lead Australia to upset victory over team USA

So this is what getting jingled feels like.

Behind brilliant performances from Joe Ingles and Patty Mills Australia upset team USA 98 to 94.

Ingles was a force from start to finish running the pick and roll for Australia consistently shredding team USA’s big men. He also hit shots from every level on the floor. It’s great to see Ingles playing well and with a renewed energy that wasn’t there for parts of last season for the Jazz. If Ingles has found a renewed joy in playing basketball it bodes well for Australia and also the Utah Jazz.

But it wasn’t just his offense that was effective, Ingles was in dominant form on defense. Alongside Matthew Dellavedova he helped defend Donovan Mitchell. It was a clear at times Australia wanted to force the ball away from Mitchell and into the hands of other players on the team to keep him out of a rhythm.

Kemba Walker, who came off the bench this game poured in 22 points. Harrison Barnes also had a nice game scoring 20 points including shooting 3-5 from three.

Walker’s numbers look pretty good but there were a lot of isolation plays throughout and at the end of the game that hurt the flow of the offense. He missed his last four shots which were all difficult pullups. For this USA team they can’t rely solely on talent, they’ll have to move the ball and create easy shots for each other or they’ll find themselves in this situation again. If Kemba makes those shots, then obviously team USA wins the game, but he didn’t and it was a major reason for the loss.

The player who didn’t miss at the end of the game was Patty Mills. He was the opposite of Walker where instead of missing his last four shots, he made his final four. Mills and Ingles hit big shot after big shot at the end of the game that would eventually put team USA to bed.

Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Donovan Mitchell had a quieter performance in this rematch against Australia. He was in foul trouble for much of the game and had to sit multiple times because of it. And like was mentioned before, Australia worked hard to keep the ball out of his hands. It made for a night that Mitchell never quite got comfortable. Even with all that he managed to score 12 points and shoot 2-5 from three and almost pulled team USA back in it at the very end.

Team USA is filled with dynamic offensive talents and Mitchell might just be the best of all of them. It’s clear after tonight that they can’t just rely on that talent to win games. They have to do a better job of creating easy shots for each other. They also need to impose their will on the other team more defensively.

Probably the most pleasant surprise for Jazz fans in these exhibitions has been Donovan Mitchell’s defense. The defense has been much better for Team USA while Mitchell has been on the floor. It’s a great sign for this upcoming season for the Utah Jazz.

The other players that played great for Australia were Andrew Bogut and Aron Baynes. They got the better of Myles Turner and Mason Plumlee. Plumlee was especially bad scoring 1 point in ten minutes along with 3 rebounds and 2 fouls. Those Plumlee minutes are something watch during the world cup. If Plumlee gets dominated like that every game, team USA is going to be at a disadvantage a lot of nights.