Montenegro vs Lithuania Basketball Preview: Prediction, odds, and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023

Montenegro and Lithuania, teams that will proceed from Group D to the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, will face each other. Although these teams have secured spots for the next stage in the tournament, both will still likely go out for a win.

A battle between the Montenegrins’ Nikola Vucevic and the Lithuanians’ Jonas Valanciunas will serve as an intriguing sub-headline in tomorrow’s matchup.

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Game Details

Date: August 29, 2023

Time: 8:30 AM ET / 8:30 p.m. PH time

Venue: Mall of Asia Arena (Manila, Philippines)

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Preview

The Montenegrins’ frontline is quite a sight. Vucevic, Bojan Dubljevic, Nemanja Radovic and Marko Simonic have played key roles in the team’s wins over Mexico and Egypt, respectively. They’re the biggest reasons why the team has outrebounded their past two opponents and dominated the interior.

Montenegro’s bruising inside presence is complemented by its efficient outside game. The team is hitting 52.2% three-pointers. They have a deadly inside-outside game that could give trouble to any team.

Lithuania, however, is built to battle the Montenegrins’ strengths. They have New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas as their main man in the middle. Coach Kazys Maksvytis could also rely on 7-foot center Donatas Motiejunas, who also played several seasons in the NBA.

Valanciunas and Motiejunas are surrounded by forwards with length and mobility such as Tadas Sedekerskis, Ignas Brazdeikis and Gabrielius Maldunas, who can also play center. They could nullify Montenegro’s inside dominance.

Lithuania’s bevy of guards with size and length will pose a problem for the Montenegrin side.

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Montenegro vs. Lithuania prediction

The Montenegrins looked already satisfied when they reached the 2019 FIBA World Cup. They finished 25th out of 32 teams after a 0-3 start. The Montenegrins have played much better than what they showed four years ago in China.

The Lithuanians, however, are ranked 8th in the world by FIBA. They have size, experience, depth and shooting. If there’s any team that can put an end to the Montenegrins’ winning streak in the group stages, it might be Jonas Valanciunas’ team.

Most fans will expect a back-and-forth affair, particularly as it is played on neutral ground. The higher-ranked team could eke out a win in the end, though.

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Montenegro vs. Lithuania: Odds

Spread: Montenegro (+5.5), Lithuania (-5.5)

Total: Over/Under (163.5)

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Where to watch

The game is available on Max Subscription via FIBA’s official streaming channel, Courtside 1891. It aired on Fancoded via subscription as well.