'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
China takes on fellow winless Puerto Rico on Saturday in the preliminary stage of the women’s basketball Olympics in Paris. A loss by the Chinese will end their campaign while a win will keep their quarter-final hopes alive. Meng Li, Yueru Li and Xu Han will again lead the Asian giants.
Meanwhile, the Puerto Ricans are also trying to stay alive after back-to-back heartbreaking losses in the tournament. “Los Gallos” lost 58-55 to Serbia to open the Olympics before falling 63-62 to Spain. A win over the Chinese might make them one of two third-placed teams that will advance to the next round.
Trending
China vs Puerto Rico: Preview, prediction and odds
The Chinese and Puerto Ricans will duel at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France. Basketball fans can watch the action by subscribing to Courtside 1891, Fubo, or NBC’s Peacock.
Moneyline: China (-385) vs. Puerto Rico (+325)
Spread: China (-9.5) vs. Puerto Rico (+9.5)
Total (O/U): China (o133.5 -110) vs. Puerto Rico (u133.5 -110)
Editor’s Note: The odds could change closer to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
China vs Puerto Rico: Game preview
The Chinese were expected to rule the preliminary stage in Group A. Instead, they lost a squeaker 90-89 to Spain before getting hammered by Serbia 81-59. The Asians have their backs against the wall and must beat “Los Gallos” to keep their slim hopes of a quarter-final appearance alive.
Meng Li and Co. shot the lights out versus Spain but were undone by turnovers. They coughed up the ball 23 times compared to just eight by the Spaniards. The same glaring issue showed up again against Serbia and they couldn’t shoot the way they opened the Olympics. It ended badly for the Chinese who got thumped by the Serbs.
To have a chance against the Puerto Ricans, they have to concentrate on limiting their turnovers first. Otherwise, they’ll disappoint their thousands of fans who expected them to challenge for the gold medal.
“Los Gallos” could have easily been 2-0 if not for breaks in the game and better execution in late-game situations. Gerardo Batista’s team relies on a balanced attack that might have been good enough to sit in pole position in Group A.
All is not lost for the Puerto Ricans as they still have a chance to advance to the quarter-final stage if they can repel the favored Chinese. Stopping the twin-tower attack of the 6-foot-7 Yueru Li and the 6-foot-9 Xu Han will top their list. If they can limit their damage, by putting constant ball pressure on the playmakers, they could pull off an upset.
China vs Puerto Rico: Prediction
The Chinese are the big favorites against the Puerto Ricans but the Asian juggernaut has not played as well as many expected. On the other hand, “Los Gallos” have been punching above their weight in the tournament.
China doesn’t seem to have the same fluidity that pushed them to the 2022 FIBA World Cup finals against Team USA. The opposite is happening with Puerto Rico which has been executing well on both ends.
The Puerto Ricans could continue the Chinese slide on Saturday.
