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Both Greece and Montenegro entered the second phase with a defeat from the group stage so they knew mistakes were unaffordable. Unfortunately, both teams lost against clearly superior opponents – Lithuania and the USA – so this coming clash between them will be only for sorting out the 9 to 16 classification.
- Date & Time: Sunday, September 03, 2023, 9:40 a.m. GMT
- Venue: Mall of Asia Arena – Pasay, Philippines
Greece vs Montenegro basketball predictions
Contents
Despite both teams being eliminated from the quarterfinals the coming clash promises to be close and exciting. There is always an extra charge when these two Balkan nations meet on the basketball court. So, let’s take a closer look at our Greece vs Montenegro basketball predictions:
Prediction 1: Montenegro to win @ 13/20 (1.65)
Montenegro have played well in their most recent two matches vs Greece and despite splitting the wins they were the dominant team on both accounts. Montenegro’s top player Vucevic is having a great World Cup so far and he nearly led his team to a major upset vs the USA on Friday. Montenegro led at halftime in that match and despite losing 73-85 they played pretty well.
At the same time, with their big star Giannis opting to miss the tournament Greece have been struggling to score. They were lucky to beat New Zealand in the group stage and to reach this far, so we think they won’t have enough scoring in their team to beat a solid team like Montenegro.
Prediction 2: Greece under 82.5 points @ 8/15 (1.53)
Greece scored just 67 points on Friday in a humiliating capitulation against Lithuania. With most of their points all tournament coming off the bench Greece can’t continue to hope that this will be productive.
Greece scored more than 83 points only once so far this World Cup. This happened in their first match against the pretty weak Jordan team. Montenegro held even the mighty Team USA to only 85 points on Friday and we think that Greece won’t be able to reach even 82 points in this match.
Greece vs Montenegro preview – who will dominate in the paint?
Now let’s take a closer look at the latest Greece vs Montenegro team news ahead of their meeting in the second round at FIBA World Cup:
Greece news, injuries, and starting lineups
Without shining too much Greece’s tenacity was enough to see them beat Jordan 92-71. It was the depth of the team that impressed most in this match with 3 of the 4 players in double digits in this match coming off the bench. The Greek bench ended contributing 49 of the 92 points and this was the most of any bench from the first round of games.
Despite missing their big star Giannis the Greeks still play with great dedication led by Ginnais’ older brother Thanasis Antetokoumpo.
Even that commitment wasn’t enough against Team USA though and in their second match Greece lost 81-109. The bright display of Papagiannis gave Greece some courage though. Papagiannis led all scorers in the game with 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting.
Greece then faced New Zealand in a direct clash for the 2nd spot in the group. The Greeks played poorly for 3 quarters and they trailed by as many as 15. However, a last-quarter rallying inspired by 2 bench players saw Greece come from the brink to win 83-74 and progress.
Faced against another quality team on Friday Greece failed again. They lost 67-92 vs Lithuania in a humiliating collapse. This ended officially their chances of reaching the last 8.
Greece officially have the strongest bench of the tournament, with the subs going for 40+ points in 3 of the 4 matches so far.
Greece injury report:
- N/A
Greece starting lineup:
G. Papagianotis, K. Papanikolaus, M. Lountzis, T. Antetokumpo, T. Walkup
Montenegro news, injuries, and starting lineups
As a small nation from the Balkans that only gained independence in 2006, Montenegro didn’t have much success yet, although this will be their second World Cup appearance in a row. Furthermore, as a part of former Yugoslavia, Montenegro had players that reached the top of the basketball world before, so they certainly have a pedigree.
Right now, they also have Nikola Vucevic, a very good NBA centre who is still in his prime at 32 years of age. In addition to Vucevic, Bojan Dubljevic and Marko Simonovic also stand out as good Euroleague players. Montenegro were solid in the group stage with wins over Mexico and Egypt and a loss against Lithuania.
They knew that only a win against all odds vs Team USA could keep their quarterfinal chances alive at the start of the second phase. Montenegro certainly gave it a good go and they even led at halftime against the Americans. Eventually, the strength in depth of the USA made the difference and Montenegro lost 73-85. Still, this was a spirited display and gave Montenegro plenty to be proud of.
Montenegro injury report:
- N/A
Montenegro starting lineup:
K. Perry, P. Popovic, D. Radoncic, M. Simonovic, N. Vucevic
Greece vs Montenegro head-to-head matchups
Greece have won 5 of the previous 7 matches between the sides. However, this contest saw the last 4 meetings producing 2 wins for each team.
Where to watch Greece vs Montenegro on TV/live stream
UK residents can find and watch all FIBA World Cup matches on FIBA’s streaming service called Courtside 1891. Meanwhile, USA fans can see the games on ESPN2 and ESPN+, while Montenegro residents can watch their team on Sport Klub and TV Vijesti.
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