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The fourth day of FIBA World Cup 2023 sees Team USA take to the court for the second time when they take on a Giannis-less Greece. Both teams started their World Cup campaigns with easy wins. The winner of the coming matchup will likely secure the top spot in the group so the motivation will be high. This is our preview of the game, along with some of our favourite betting tips for this duel.
- Date & Time: Monday, August 28, 2023, 1:40 p.m. GMT
- Venue: Mall of Asia Arena – Pasay, Philippines
Greece vs USA basketball predictions
Contents
While the only question ahead of this duel is can the older Antentokoumpo, Thanasis, find a way to inspire a major Greek upset we don’t think this is possible. The Americans are young and inexperienced but they should be able to win comfortably. So, let’s take a closer look at our Greece vs USA basketball predictions:
Prediction 1: Jaren Jackson Jr over 4.5 rebounds @ 1/2 (1.50)
Our first pick for this match backs the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the last season Jaren Jackson Jr to grab at least 5 rebounds. Jackson Jr averaged 6.8 rebounds per game for the Grizzlies this past season. This number increased to 7.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
With coach Kerr hinting that he will be playing the starters longer minutes in the coming match we think Jackson Jr will be able to get at least 5 rebounds.
Prediction 2: Anthony Edwards under 6.5 rebounds @ 4/5 (1.80)
The young Timberwolves superstar comes into this World Cup after a fantastic season with Minnesota, where he averaged 24.6 points per game in the regular season and a whopping 31.6 points per game in the playoffs.
Edwards is not a great rebounder though. He averaged just 5.8 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves last season. His career average is only 5.1 rebounds per game. All this combined with the fact that Greece are very strong in the paint makes us think that Edwards won’t get more than 6 rebounds in this match.
Greece vs USA preview – Will Paolo be cooking again?
Now let’s take a closer look at the latest Greece vs USA team news ahead of their meeting in Group C at the FIBA World Cup:
Greece news, injuries, and starting lineups
Without shining too much Greece’s tanasity 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.
Greece injury report:
- N/A
Greece starting lineup:
G. Papagianotis, K. Papanikolaus, M. Lountzis, T. Antetokumpo, T. Walkup
USA news, injuries, and starting lineups
While there are no true NBA superstars present this time in Team USA, like the likes of Steph Curry or LeBron James, the team is filled with young guns eager to prove themselves on the international stage.
The likes of Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram, Tyrese Haliburton, and Paolo Banchero have potential but they lack the experience and this showed in the first game against the modest New Zealand team. Despite winning 99-72 in the end the Stars and Stripes trailed by 10 points early on and only late in the second period took the lead.
Banchero led all scorers with his 21 points in 19 minutes off the bench. Nobody played more than 24 minutes in this first match. There was too much individual play for coach Kerr’s liking with the Americans registering just 23 assists on 35 made field goals. Edwards was singled out in particular by his coach for not sharing the ball.
USA injury report:
- N/A
USA starting lineup:
J. Brunson, A. Edwards, M. Bridges, B. Ingram, J. Jackson Jr.
Greece vs USA head-to-head matchups
These two teams have met 4 times before and despite the USA winning big in the last 3 encounters it was Greece that beat the Americans 101-95 during the 2001 FIBA World Cup. The other clash at a World Cup was in 2019 when the USA won an ugly and cagey duel 69-53.
Where to watch Greece vs USA on TV/live stream
If you live in the UK, you can watch all FIBA World Cup matches via FIBA’s streaming service Courtside 1891. Meanwhile, in the USA, the World Cup will be shown on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
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