UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
Team USA will start the second round at the FIBA World Cup against Montenegro and they are clearly the presumed winners in this match, probably by a wide margin. Still, Montenegro won’t give up without a fight and we are here to provide you with a preview of this duel, along with some free betting tips for it.
- Date & Time: Friday, September 1st, 2023, 9:40 a.m. GMT
- Venue: Mall of Asia Arena – Pasay, Philippines
USA vs Montenegro basketball predictions
Contents
There is little doubt about the final out come of this game as USA take on Montenegro, a small country in the Balkans. However, Montenegro is not such a bad team and anything can happen in basketball. So, let’s take a closer look at our USA vs Montenegro basketball predictions:
Prediction 1: USA to win with handicap (-24.5) @ 3/4 (1.75)
The winner of this duel is certainly known in advance, but the final difference isn’t. While a double-digit difference for the USA is all but guaranteed, it is tough to predict by exactly how much will the USA beat any team, especially a team like Montenegro that’s not among the best at the tournament, but also far from the worst.
Given that the lowest difference for the USA in the first round was 26 points, we can probably expect something similar to that here, which is why our prediction is for United States to beat Montenegro by 25 points or more.
Prediction 2: Nikola Vucevic over 18.5 total points @ 18/25 (1.72)
Everything in this Montenegro team revolves around Nikola Vucevic and this match won’t be any different. The powerful centre has the quality to play against any of the frontcourt USA players and that’s why we can see him doing well in this game.
After all, Vucevic averaged 20.7 points per game at the tournament so far and with the line on him being set at 18.5 total points, we can see him going over.
USA vs Montenegro preview – can Montenegro avoid a disaster?
Now let’s take a closer look at the latest USA vs Montenegro team news ahead of their meeting in the second round at FIBA World Cup:
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 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 at 25+ points. Meanwhile, the minutes among players are also distributed equally, with Anthony Edwards averaging the most with 20.9 minutes per game.
USA injury report:
- N/A
USA starting lineup:
Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, Mikal Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr.
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 enters the second round of FIBA World Cup with five points, with wins over Mexico and Egypt and a loss against Lithuania.
Montenegro injury report:
- N/A
Montenegro starting lineup:
Kendrick Perry, Petar Popovic, Dino Radoncic, Marko Simonovic, Nikola Vucevic
USA vs Montenegro head-to-head matchups
This will be the first duel between these two teams in history.
Where to watch USA 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. Meawhile, USA fans can see the games on ESPN2 and ESPN+, while Montenegro residents can watch their team on Sport Klub and TV Vijesti.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
