San Antonio Spurs: Patty Mills and Australia advance past France

Ethan Farina
NANJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 09: Patty Mills(R) #5 of Australia in action against Andrew Albicy #21 of France during 2nd round Group L match between Australia and France of 2019 FIBA World Cup at Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park Gymnasium on September 09, 2019 in Nanjing, China. (Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images)
NANJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 09: Patty Mills(R) #5 of Australia in action against Andrew Albicy #21 of France during 2nd round Group L match between Australia and France of 2019 FIBA World Cup at Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park Gymnasium on September 09, 2019 in Nanjing, China. (Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images) /
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San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills helped lead Australia to a victory over France on Monday. Mills continues to be one of the leaders of an Australian team that has been on fire so far.

San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills helped lead Australia past France and into the quarterfinals on Monday. Patty was the leading scorer for Australia with 30 points. He’s been absolutely on fire in the tournament. Averaging 21.8 points per game, Mills has been a consistent scoring option for the Boomers.

While Mills has always been more known for his offense than defense, it was his tenacity on the defensive end that would eventually close things out for Australia. Patty came up clutch with a steal with just four seconds left in the game to seal the deal and send Australia on to the quarterfinals.

Patty Mills (@Patty_Mills) was the @TclCorporation Player of the Game from #FRAAUS after his ??? display of 30 points (10-18 FGs) in @BasketballAus ??'s fifth-straight victory! #BornToLead pic.twitter.com/EMxpXlNkB8

— Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) September 9, 2019

Mills’ role with San Antonio is more uncertain coming into this season than in years past but his strong performance in China is a reminder to every one of the impacts that he can have. His command of the Australian offense has been on point.

This game featured plenty of former San Antonio Spurs. Aron Baynes was a force for the Boomers, recording an impressive stat line of 21 points and 5 rebounds. Former San Antonio Spurs guard Nando De Colo went to work for France, racking up 26 points.

Up next for Patty and the Boomers is the Czech Republic. The two teams will face off on Wednesday.  The Czech Republic roster does not include many NBA players but does feature Chicago Bulls combo guard, Tomas Satoransky. The lengthy Satoransky nearly recorded a triple-double earlier in the tournament. He, along with Jaromir Bohacik, will need to be contained if Australia wants to come away with a win.

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Two wins away from the 2019 FIBA World Cup Finals, the pressure is on for Patty Mills and the rest of the Australians. A victory on Wednesday would allow them to advance and take on the winner of Spain and Poland.

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