The 2023 FIBA World Cup has entered Round 2 of its proceedings this week. Naturally, the intensity of the competition has skyrocketed. This was evident in Team Australia’s matchup against Team Georgia for their 5th game in the tournament. While their superstar guard Josh Giddey shined yet again, his teammate stirred up a debacle in the game.

Team Australia put up another gritty performance in the tournament against Team Georgia. They seemed in spectacular tandem, dominating the game throughout. However, the Boomers’ forward and NBA veteran riled up a 6’11 basketball star on the Georgian roster during the game, leading to an ugly fight in just the third quarter.

Josh Giddey’s teammate riles up a 6’11 NBA star in the FIBA World Cup

Team Australia led Team Georgia by 15 points towards the end of the third quarter. However, Josh Giddey’s teammate, Joe Ingles decided to stir up drama in the game just then. After starting off the game impressively himself, the 35-year-old veteran chirped at his fellow NBA star, Goga Bitadze that led to this brawl.

Ingles fouled Bitadze hard with just 42.7 seconds left in the third quarter. After the 24-year-old gathered himself to visit the charity strike, Ingles decided to chirp at Bitadze, much to his discontent. This led to an ugly brawl which witnessed Bitadze shove the 35-year-old multiple times. However, Ingles did not seem interested in backing down.

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The Australian forward kept taunting the 24-year-old which led to an ugly squabble mid-game. Bitadze seemed furious while Ingles smirked at the Georgian center. The referees had to step in to stop the situation from escalating. In fact, Team Australia’s combo guard, Dante Exum too, stepped in to separate the two NBA stars.

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Ingles and Bitadze later discussed the matter and seemed to have sorted it out. Their altercation seemed out of the blue but the two stars definitely seemed intense while engaging in it. Ironically, the two NBA stars signed with the same franchise, the Orlando Magic this offseason. However, this squabble did not stop the Australian side from asserting their dominance on the court.

Team Australia pull off a dominant win

After the chaotic brawl between Joe Ingles and Goga Bitadze, the Australian contingent seemed fueled to put out even stronger efforts. They took over the game after this moment, completely dominating the fourth quarter.

Team Australia outscored Team Georgia 21-17 to take their 3rd victory in the tournament home. Georgia on the other hand, suffered their third loss of the tournament. A total of 5 Australians crossed the double-figure mark in the game while handing Team Georgia a 100-84 defeat. While the Oklahoma City Thunder guard, Josh Giddey put up an impressive 15-point performance, Patty Mills shined with 19 points. Ingles and Exum too, played well off the bench, accounting for 10 and 18 points respectively.

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The Australian contingent put themselves at a competitive position after this win. They kept their hopes of bagging a medal in the tournament after this win. However, this loss shattered Team Georgia’s hopes to make some noise in the tournament.