Suffice it to say that Matthew Dellavedova turned in one of the better performances of his international basketball career on Monday in another key Australia win in the preliminary round of the Olympic Basketball Tournament; this victory coming via a 95-80 triumph over Serbia in Group A play.
Dellavedova turned in a brilliant performance for the Boomers, finishing with 23 points to go along with a game-high 13 assists and two steals. His efficiency was near perfect as he shot 7-for-8 (.875) from the field, including 3-for-4 from the 3-point line, while finishing with a plus-minus of 21 and a game-high 36 efficiency rating. Delly was also 6-for-7 from the free-throw line and didn’t commit a turnover in 29 minutes of play.
Down by one going into the third quarter, 63-62, Australia outscored Serbia 33-17 in the final quarter of play to pull away for the 15-point victory. Patty Mills led the Boomers with a game-high 26 points, while Andrew Bogut added nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Miroslav Raduljica led Serbia with 25 points.
With the win, Australia remains atop of the standings in Group A with four points and a 2-0 record. Delly and the rest of the Australian team returns to the court on Wednesday in a showdown with the United States at 5:00 p.m.
