Josh Giddey in heartbreaking scenes amid brutal retirement development for Patty Mills at Olympics

Australian basketball star Josh Giddey admits the overtime loss to Serbia is "going to hurt for a long time" as the Boomers were once again left to rue too many turnovers (20). The Aussies were on fire early on Wednesday morning (AEDT) storming out to a 24-point lead in the first half but Serbia roared back into the contest in the second half, taking a lead into the final quarter.

Australia rallied in the final frame, staying in touch with the World No.5 side, before Patty Mills drained a clutch two in the dying seconds of regulation time to send the match into overtime. In overtime, Giddey hit a triple to put Australia up by three but those were the last points the Boomers would score at the Paris Olympics.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic took the game by the scruff of the neck, with a superb block on a Giddey drive, before netting four straight points of his own. Giddey's inbound pass was then intercepted ending Australia's medal hopes as they went down 95-90 to Serbia.

Speaking to Channel Nine after the loss, a teary Giddey said it was "heartbreaking" to bow out so close to an Olympic medal. "We were so close," Giddey said. "We had so many chances... when you have the guys on this team that we do, you believe you have the ability to go all the way and we believe that with this group... we put ourselves in a great position to win that game. We come up short like that in overtime... it’s heartbreaking.... it kills me that I have to wait four more years for another chance at this.

"But, man, I’m so proud of this group. I love this team. Our coaches, our fans, deserved a lot better than this."

Giddey, who finished with 25 points and four assists but turned the ball a whopping seven times, said he had a lot to take out of his performance, including that "every possession matters".

“It can go so quick,” he added. “We play four games and that’s it. You’ve got to wait four years... I don’t really know how to sum it up now. It’s so raw and soon after the game.

“But you know, I just love this team. I believed we had the group to go all the way... we’ve got to wait another four years and this feeling sucks and it’s going to hurt but it’s going to build us. We’ll be back in LA.”

Patty Mills in retirement development after Olympics defeat

Unlike Giddey, Mills, almost certainly won't be part of the Boomers' LA team and has quite likely played his final game in green and gold. Mills (26 points) was the spark plug for their early advantage, scoring 16 points in less than four minutes with an array of mid-range jumpers, triples and drives to the rim in what was likely his final match for Australia.

The next World Cup is in 2027 and Mills will turn 36 on Sunday, meaning a sixth Olympics is likely out of reach. Along with fellow five-time Olympian Joe Ingles (37 in October) and Matthew Dellavedova (33), it was one last hurrah for Australia's basketball veterans.

And following the match, Mills all but passed on the Boomers' baton to the younger generation of Australian basketballers. "You live for those moments," Mills said post-game of his shot to send the game into overtime. "Down two, as a little kid, in the backyard, underneath the clothesline in Australia. You imagine yourself in those moments, being able to hit a big shot in the Olympic Games to force overtime. We gave ourselves a chance. At the end of the day, it wasn't our day.

"We've just enjoyed every moment of this journey. It hasn't been a smooth sailing ship, but you do it together and you never take those moments for granted.

"But through the thick and thin and ups and downs, happy tears, sad tears, it's been an incredible journey to be able to share with those guys."

Mills made his senior national team debut for the Boomers during the FIBA Oceania Championship in 2007. He won the bronze medal with the Boomers in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has four gold medals with Australia in the FIBA Oceania Championships (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015). Overall, Mills has represented the Boomers in 13 major FIBA tournaments, making 64 appearances in total.

It is expected that Mills will make a call on his playing career in the coming days, with ESPN Australia's Olgun Uluc saying the loss to Serbia was likely the last time Aussie fans will see Mills play for the national side. "This was more than likely Patty Mills' final game with the Boomers," Uluc wrote on X. And Australian fans were quick to applaud their basketball hero after another stellar performance.

Josh Gidden says Patty Mills deserved a better Olympic send-off

Giddey says Mills deserved more in Paris as he paid tribute to the Australian basketball great. "He deserved better; he deserved for us to help him get that ultimate goal of gold," Giddey said. "Whether it's his last or not, he's poured so much into this program.

"Talk about 'FIBA Patty', one of the greatest to ever do it in these tournaments. We're very, very lucky to play with him."

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Giddey said the young core that includes Josh Green, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum and Jock Landale will target bigger and better things at LA's 2028 Games. "I want to go to as many as I can ... tough way to end this one but fortunately I'm 21 years old, I've got a lot of years left in the tank," he said.

"2028 in LA we'll be ready to go, (I'll be) 25, we'll be a lot more mature. It hurts now, but it'll help in the long run."

with AAP