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Both Italy and the USA reached the quarterfinals with 4-1 records. The Europeans play tough basketball and make it hard for opponents to score against them. The Americans are stuffed with young talent but lack experience and leaders as their recent defeat vs Lithuania showed. Will the Italians grind out another win? Can the USA achieve what they are expected to achieve without much drama? Read our preview to find out.
- Date & Time: Tuesday, September 05, 2023, 1:40 p.m. GMT
- Venue: Mall of Asia Arena – Manila, Philippines
Italy vs USA basketball predictions
Contents
The Italians continue to win close matches this tournament thanks to their solid defence. The USA had been shaky at times and their composure will be questioned as they lost their last match and in two of the first four trailed at halftime. So, we expect a very interesting match and we have some exciting basketball predictions for this game for you:
Prediction 1: Jalen Brunson over 3.5 assists @ 3/5 (1.60)
Our first Italy vs USA prediction backs the starting point guard for the Americans Jalen Brunson to record at least 4 assists. Brunson is averaging 3.8 assists per game so far this tournament. He had 4 or more assists in 3 of the 5 matches played.
Brunson’s minutes in the first group were restricted to 18-19 per game. He plays much more now when the games become serious and in the last game vs Lithuania, he recorded 7 assists. With his minutes likely to only increase from now on we think Brunson should be over to go over his assists spread.
Prediction 2: Marco Spissu under 10.5 points @ 3/5 (1.60)
Italy’s main point guard Marco Spissu leads his team for assists. He is a gifted scorer too. Spissu is one of four Italians that averages above 10 points per game (11.4) so far this tournament. However, now we think Spissu will struggle to score.
He is facing some very uncomfortable matchups and we think the Americans that will guard him are all way too tall so shooting above them will be out of the question. This will force the ball out of Spissu’s hands more than usual. That’s why we don’t think he will score more than 10 points in this match.
Italy vs USA preview – who will be celebrating at the buzzer?
Now let’s take a closer look at the latest Italy vs USA team news ahead of their meeting in the second round at the FIBA World Cup:
Italy news, injuries, and starting lineups
Italy looks like a true team, with only one NBA player on the roster, but still, a good team that functions well together.
The team’s leading scorer is their only NBA player Simone Fontecchio, but other notable players on this roster are Nicolo Melli, Luigi Datome, and Achille Polonara. Italy lost to the Dominican Republic in the first round but they won their other 4 matches and the confidence in the team is high.
The Italians continue to struggle in attack. They have yet to score more than 90 points in a game. Italy have the worst shooting percentage from a distance of all 8 teams that reached the quarterfinals – 31.4%. However, the Italians have the third-best defensive efficiency and they accumulate the most steals (5.2) and the most deflections (12.6) of any team that is still in the running.
Playing hard on defence is something the Italians enjoy very much and one thing they will do for certain in the coming match is make it awkward for the Americans to score.
Italy injury report:
- N/A
Italy starting lineup:
M. Spissu, S. Tonut, A. Polonara, S. Fontecchio, N. Melli
USA news, injuries, and starting lineups
Seeing the USA roster without the biggest superstars is not uncommon for FIBA World Cups, but this is probably one of the youngest teams that the United States ever sent to a major international competition. However, it is also a well-balanced team, strong on both sides of the court, and full of potential.
Led from the bench by Steve Kerr as head coach and Erik Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue as assistants (8 NBA championships combined), this USA team proved how good they can be by blowing through the first round with three wins, all by 25+ points.
Things didn’t look so good in the second phase though when the opponents got tougher. In those games coach Kerr shortened the rotations and the regulars began to play much more. This was needed too as the USA were pushed in both matches. They beat Montenegro 85-73, but trailed at halftime in this match and only a solid fourth-quarter push helped them to prevail.
Team USA suffered their first defeat on Sunday when losing 104-110 vs Lithuania. Once again the shooting from a distance was poor and also on the defensive end the lack of size proved costly as the Lithuanians dominated inside the paint.
The only player to be averaging more than 10 points this tournament is Anthony Edwards. This is a problem as lately, teams started to double-team him and when the ball is not in his hands the Americans struggle to score.
To get to the medals others will have to step up and help but so far nobody has answered the call.
USA injury report:
- N/A
USA starting lineup:
J. Brunson, A. Edwards, B. Ingram, M. Bridges, J. Jackson Jr.
Italy vs USA head to head
The USA lead the H2H 12-2. Most of those 12 wins by double-digit margins too.
Where to watch Italy vs USA on TV/live stream
If you live in the UK, all FIBA World Cup matches are available on FIBA’s streaming service Courtside 1891. Meanwhile, in the United States, the World Cup is shown on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Italians can see their team on DAZN and Rai2.
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