THE Australian Boomers continue to prove their potential ahead of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating host nation France by one point in a dramatic finish overnight.

The Boomers have now won four of their five exhibition games heading into the Paris Games, and have knocked off some of the most intimidating sides in the tournament, and getting the edge over France was perhaps a warning to the rest of the world.

However, the win may have come at a cost, with Dante Exum suffering a dislocated finger in the second quarter, not returning for the remainder of the contest. With the Aussies’ first Olympic match set to take place on Saturday night, time may become the enemy of Exum, who was set to play a crucial role for the Boomers.

Dyson Daniels was the hero for Australia, sinking a lay-up in the dying stages of the match to put the Boomers up by a solitary point. Combining perfectly with Joshua Giddey – who is highly regarded in terms of his ability to make perfect inbound passes – Daniels spun away from his defender and caught the pass under the hoop, laying the ball in with haste to put his team ahead.

Daniels was an impressive performer all game, posting 14 points (6/8 FG, 2/4 3PT), five assists and five steals, proving an inspired choice as a starter. He has always been well-renowned as an expert defender, but his offensive game is coming together nicely, looming as a central figure to Australia’s Olympic campaign.

Speaking of important players, Patty Mills has continued his resurgence from a slow start to Australia’s exhibition games to once again lead from the front on the scoring front. He backed up a strong performance in the win over Serbia to again lead all-comers in the points column, and is seemingly hitting his straps at the right time.

Against France, Mills posted 24 points on efficient shooting, including 3/7 from behind the arc and an impressive four-point play. If the guard can keep up this level of scoring, it increases Australia’s chances of making it out of the ‘group of death’ in the opening stages of the Games.

Another strong performer for Australia was Giddey, who has announced himself as the maestro of the Boomers’ offence over the past 12 months. The creative point guard continues to shine on the scoring front, posting 20 points of his own to go with six rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He can take defenders off the dribble and is growing as a scoring option.

For France, Victor Wembanyama was unsurprisingly the star of the show, flirting with a triple-double by posting 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. The young superstar will undoubtedly trouble a lot of teams at the Olympics, and showed a glimpse of his potential with a tremendous showing against the Aussies.

The match was Australia’s final hit out before the Olympic Games, with the Boomers set to take on Spain on Saturday night AEST, in what should be an excellent battle.