Basketball: Lemanis denies tanking by Aussie Boomers to avoid Team USA

Andrej Lemanis. Photo / Greg Bowker

A giant hurdle has been removed from Australia's path to an historic basketball World Cup medal, but coach Andrej Lemanis insists it didn't come via a controversial tank job.

The Boomers have rejected suggestions their shock loss to Angola yesterday was orchestrated to avoid a quarter-final showdown with Team USA. Australia, chasing a fourth straight victory for the first time in their World Cup history, were downed 91-83 by Africa's No1-ranked side after fielding a second-string team and letting a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter slip.

With a trip to the round-of-16 game already secured, Lemanis made a pre-match decision to rest his two best performing players of the tournament.

Star centre Aron Baynes and the sharp-shooting Joe Ingles did not play, while fellow starters Matthew Dellavedova and David Andersen had less than four minutes each.

Combined with Lithuania's 67-64 victory over Slovenia later in the evening, the loss conveniently dropped Australia down to third in Group D - moving them to the opposite side of the draw to the basketball powerhouse Americans until the semifinals.

They will still have to advance through the round of 16, where they will face Group C's second-placed Turkey, and quarter-finals.

But avoiding Team USA until the medal matches undoubtedly puts them one step closer to capturing an elusive medal.

Solvenian star Goran Dragic claimed on Twitter the outcome was "fixed", suggesting Australia lost to Angola on purpose.

"Basketball is a beautiful sport, there is no room for fixing the game like today Australia vs Angola!! @FIBA should do something about that!" he posted.

When challenged by reporters on whether his side had contested the match in the spirit of the game, Lemanis was defiant, arguing the heavy tournament schedule demanded he rest his players before the next stage of competition.

"People will make up their own minds," the former New Zealand Breakers coach said.

"There's always going to be speculators. I can't control what people think."

- AAP