FIBA World Cup 2019: USA vs Greece - Match Preview & Predictions

Match details

Fixture: USA vs Greece

Date & Time: Saturday 7th September - 8:30 AM (ET)/6:00 PM (IST)/8:30 PM (PHT)

Venue: Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen

Live updates: Sportskeeda

Last game result

USA: 98-45 victory over Japan (September 5th)

Greece: 103-97 victory over New Zealand (September 5th)

Match overview

USA will face both Greece and Brazil in the second round of the World Cup. Despite traversing a bumpy road, the Americans are yet to be beaten in this tournament. Jayson Tatum is likely to miss this game as well due to a bothering left ankle.

Much to the surprise of fans across the world, the Giannis-led Greece squad is not entering the next round as leaders of Group F. A surprise upset by an undefeated Brazil side meant they are not to be taken lightly. Moreover, their most recent win over New Zealand was a single-digit differential affair.

Key players

USA - Kemba Walker

Kemba's consistency and poise whilst leading this understaffed squad command the utmost respect. He has been averaging an impressive 14 points and 6.6 assists per game, shooting a decent 49% from the field along the way. With a player efficiency of 17.7 across the three games played so far, Walker has found his groove on the FIBA courts in China, much to the relief of the USA camp.

Greece - Giannis Antetokounmpo

As was expected of the Freak, he has blazed the trail for the Greek squad, having played a pivotal role in his team advancing to the second round. So far, Giannis is posting solid all-round numbers on both ends of the court. He is averaging 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game and making almost half of his shot attempts from the field.

Predicted starting lineups

USA: Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell, Harrison Barnes, Myles Turner, Khris Middleton

Greece: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ioannis Papapetrou, Kostas Papanikolaou, Georgios Printezis, Nick Calathes

Match prediction

The Americans are well aware of the damage Giannis can do single-handedly and they will surely have a gameplan in place to take care of the consequences. However, the MVP has been unstoppable in a Greek uniform so far. It'll be a clash of titans when these two teams meet, with the USA possessing a slight overall edge to best Greece eventually.