Boomers blow away Lithuania for semis berth
The Australian men's basketball team are guaranteed to play for an historic Olympic medal after toppling Lithuania 90-64 in the quarter-finals in Rio.
The comfortable victory on Wednesday ensured the Boomers passage into the semi-finals for the first time since Sydney 2000.
LIVE BLOG: Follow all the Day 12 Rio action LIVE here
DREAM: Boomers close in on Olympic dream
MAIN MAN: 'Mills is a first team NBA guard'
They will next face either Croatia or Serbia, the lowest-ranked of the other finalists.
Luc Longley and Cameron Bairstow. Picture: Simon Santi/The West Australian
Even if they lose that game, they will still get a crack at the bronze.
The Boomers are the first Australian team to get as far this Games, after their female counterparts - the Opals - bowed out 24 hours earlier.
Patty Mills led the way with 24 points, equalled in influence by fellow NBA championship winner Matthew Dellavedova who finished on 15 points and three assists.
Aron Baynes added 16 points, including a handful of entertaining dunks that drew cheers from the small but vocal contingent of Australian fans.
As they have all tournament, the Boomers started calmly but full of energy.
Dellavedova and Mills shot them to a 26-17 first-quarter lead with a combined five three-pointers.
The star guards continued to lay on the points in the second term and together outscored the entire Lithuanian team in the first half for a 48-30 advantage.
There was no let-up in the third quarter, either, as the Boomers extended the gap to 27 points.
They held on in the final stanza to secure the win, despite some signs of exhaustion.
Former NBA forward Cameron Bairstow didn't play, having dislocated his shoulder in their last group game against Venezuela.
The Boomers have dropped just one game from six in Rio - their narrow defeat to the world No.2 United States the only blemish.
Australia's best finish at the Olympics is fourth at the 1988, 1996 and 2000 Games.
Lithuania denied them a medal at the last two, beating them in the playoff for bronze.
