VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France — In the days before Australia was set to open the Paris Olympics against Spain, coach Brian Goorjian looked to the past.
He made his team watch one of the Aussies' most painful moments in international play — a double-overtime loss to the Spaniards in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup.
“We showed a little video of the past to have them locked in,” Goorjian said. “There's a fear that no matter how much you outwork or outplay, in a three-minute period they can go ‘whack, whack, whack’ and you're in trouble.”
It turned out to be just the jolt his team needed.
Jock Landale had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Australia beat Spain 92-80 Saturday to open the group stage of the Olympic basketball tournament in Lille.
Patty Mills added 19 points and Josh Giddey contributed 17 to lift Australia to the victory in Group A, which also includes Greece and Canada. Australia next meets Canada on Tuesday while Spain will face Greece.
“They made two heavy runs at us and then took the lead. I thought we were fearless and were courageous, and I thought we had great guard play,” Goorjian said. “Just a good contribution from everybody.”
Australia led by as many as 14 points before Spain surged and used a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 56-54, in the third quarter. The Aussies responded with a 15-4 spurt to close the period and never trailed again.
“Not flinching is kind of one of the things we spoke about,” Giddey said. “They're going to have their runs, we're going to have ours. It's just who can withstand the storm better.”
Santi Aldama finished with 17 points for Spain. Sergio Llull added 17 for the Spaniards, who connected on 12 3–pointers but shot 39% overall from the field for the game at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
Australia established its presence in the paint early, scoring 42 in the paint for the game and holding a 46-34 rebounding edge.
“We know the level of physicality of a team with eight or nine NBA players; this is what puts them above most of the teams,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.
The Aussies led 49-42 at halftime.
Australia sprinted out to a 31-17 lead, with Landale scoring eight early points.
Spain then used a 10-0 run that started late in the first quarter and continued into the second to get back in the game.
The Aussies' momentum also was disrupted by a heated exchange late in the first quarter.
With 2:13 remaining in the period, Spain’s Usman Garuba set a hard screen on Australia’s Josh Green, sending him stumbling backward. Green took exception and got in Garuba’s face. Garuba slapped Green’s hand away and Will Magnay stepped in to defend his teammate, prompting Garuba to shove him.
Referees reviewed the incident and accessed double unsportsmanlike fouls on Garuba and Magnay.
Two more incidents also resulted in brief game stoppages.
Germany 97, Japan 77
Franz Wagner had 22 points and six rebounds, and Germany pulled away from Japan in the second half to secure a win in Group B play.
Daniel Theis added 18 points and seven rebounds. Moritz Wagner added 15 points for the defending World Cup champions, who never trailed. Germany has Brazil next in group play on Tuesday. Japan takes on Olympics host France.
Germany had five players in double-figures.
“I think we kind of got a target on our back after last year's success (in the World Cup),” Theis said. “Everybody wants to beat the world champion."
Rui Hachimura finished with 20 points for Japan, which has only 13 wins in its seven Olympic appearances.
“We know we're organized, so we have to get together,” Hachimura said. “We've got to know what we're doing.”
Germany entered the Olympics ranked third in FIBA’s world rankings behind the the U.S. and Spain.
It played like it against the Japanese, never trailing and taking a 16-point lead in the second quarter. The Germans scored 46 points in the paint and also got a big contribution from their bench, which contributed 38 points.
