Basketball On The Internet.

IT MIGHT have been Orleans in France but there was nothing "new" about how Australia unravelled Puerto Rico in their overnight pre-Olympic practice match, the Boomers' win built on defensive pressure and led offensively by Josh Giddey's 19-point, five-assist double.

The lockdown Aussie defence, which held Serbia to 73 points, again was the order and the staple of the day and will need to remain so if the Boomers are to advance in Paris.

Jock Landale's return to the team after his eleventh hour injury-forced withdrawal from last year's ill-fated World Cup campaign, tightens Australia in that area, coach Brian Goorjian swinging more minutes for players such as veterans Matthew Dellavedova and Joe Ingles against Puerto Rico.

Josh Green also saw more action, largely because Dante Exum was hurt, landing awkwardly and massaging the back of his neck as he was escorted from the floor.

Green continued on to score 10 points and it also was heartening to see Duop Reath back in action, albeit with his left wrist heavily bandaged.

Landale, Reath, Nick Kay and Will Magnay are a formidable big-man quartet, all with varying skillsets to bring to the Aussie equation.

Landale (12 points, six boards) drew the Boomers level at 4-4 off a feed by Patty Mills (15 points on 5-of-9 threes) before Puerto Rico left Giddey wide open from deep, challenging him to let it fly.

He did precisely that, without the usual hesitation, and his swish made it 7-4. Great to see, as was his second three later in the contest.

At 3:03, Mills struck his first triple, then fed Green for 17-10, Magnay's dunk taking the lead to 19-10. Patty again for three and the lead was ballooning out at 32-17, Puerto Rico struggling to find consistent answers.

It was a 36-19 Australian lead on a Green slam dunk and while Puerto Rico fired up to make a run, it was quickly doused. Early in the third, Mills had to leap in the corner to catch an errant pass, yet after corralling it, he swished a 3-point bomb.

Kay to Giddey for a dunk and 55-37 buffer left little doubt Australia was finding its new identity.

Threes by Giddey and Jack McVeigh kept the offence chugging along but it  was an Ingles triple which put paid to Puerto Rico's best run.

His 3-pointer bumped the lead back to 66-54 and another triple from Slow-Mo-Joe made it 72-56 leaving no way back for Puerto Rico.

Only a late three allowed Puerto Rico to outscore Serbia's 73 against the Boomers in Abu Dhabi.

AUSTRALIA BOOMERS 90 (Giddey 19, Mills 15, Landale 12, Ingles 11, Green 10, McVeigh 9; Landale 6 rebs; Giddey 5 assts) d PUERTO RICO 75 in Orleans.