A day after Australian guard Patty Mills lit up Team USA with 30 points, Team USA coach Gregg Popovich isn't done joking around with his San Antonio Spurs guard.
Moments after the Australians defeated the Americans on Saturday, Popovich called Mills a “pain in the a**”. Today, when asked again about Mills' performance, he joked that the Spurs have already traded away their reserve guard.
Almost forgot this one: Pop’s reaction, a day after Patty Mills dropped 30 points on Team USA.
“We’ve already traded Patty.” pic.twitter.com/pCaiHz0Q3t
— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) August 25, 2019
Mills didn't look like a role player at all on Saturday. On his home team, Mills is a star and he was ultimately responsible for snapping Team USA's 78-game winning streak in international competition, dating back since 2006.
The 31-year old Australian poured in 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. He also scored the last 10 points for the Boomers in the final three minutes to put the game away for Team USA.
Mills knocked down two triples in the final period, including a massive banking three-pointer to give Australia a four-point lead with less than three minutes remaining. The two teams went on to trade buckets down the stretch, but Mills put the final nail on the coffin with a huge top of the key jumper to give the Boomers a six-point cushion with a little over a minute to go.
The Australians were certainly fired up with their impressive victory over the powerhouse USA squad. However, some Team USA players downplayed the loss.
As much as Popovich probably hates Mills for snapping a 13-year USA dominance on his watch, he needs to set those “ill feelings” aside when the 2019-20 season begins anew in October.
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