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Slovenia will be facing Australia in the first game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup game of the second round. The two teams have NBA talent and square off in a critical game as the knockout stage nears.
Slovenia is led by Luka Doncic, who currently leads the tournament in scoring at 30.0 points per game. Australia have nine NBA players to try and stop him.
Patty Mills turned into a different animal, while scoring 42 points, when both teams battled for the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He has scored more than 20 twice so far in this World Cup.
Josh Giddey has been a star for Australia in this tournament as well. The talented forward is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. Slovenia will need to bottle him up to win this one.
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Slovenia vs Australia Game Details
Date: September 1
Time: 8:10am ET
Venue: Okinawa Arena in Okinawa City, Japan
Both teams played their group stage games in Okinawa. Slovenia cruised to a 3-0 record in their group with wins against Venezuela, Cape Verde and Georgia.
Australia were in the toughest group of the tournament. They beat Finland and host Japan. However, they stumbled against the impressive German team led by Dennis Schroder and the Wagner brothers.
Where to Watch
The game will stream on ESPN+ in the United States, which requires a subscription. The streaming platform costs $9.99 per month.
The game will also be available with an account on FIBA’s official streaming platform Courtside 1891. One Sports+ will carry the game in the host nation.
What to expect in the game?
Australia is favored by -6. Expect a high-scoring game given the talent on the floor in this one. Doncic will battle against the deeper Australian squad.
The Dallas Mavericks superstar has the talent to score on anyone though. He has pulled off heroics so far for Slovenia and will need to keep it up to pull off the upset.
Luka Doncic will be looking for revenge after losing to Australia in the bronze medal game at the last Olympics. Expect him to be hunting his host early and often.
Patty Mills could also go off in this one. Slovenia will be keying on stopping Giddey which may allow hum some open looks. He always raises his level when playing for his national team and can do it again on Friday.
