It’s a clash of two unbeaten teams in what should be a barnburner. The Lithuanians have built confidence and also watched Montenegro provide a good challenge to the Americans. Will they do the same and instead finish with an upset?
Catch the game tomorrow, September 3rd, at 8:40 PM.
USA (4-0)
Projected starting five:
- Jalen Brunson
- Anthony Edwards
- Mikal Bridges
- Brandon Ingram
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
Team USA has steamrolled any opponent as expected. They have compiled an average winning margin of 28.7 points through four games, despite starting things slow.
Expect young studs Anthony Edwards (16.5 PPG) and Austin Reaves (11.8 PPG) to remain as the focal points of the attack, with the former also flexing his explosive athleticism and the latter posting his shot efficiency through shooting 57.1% from the floor. Add floor general Jalen Brunson (9.3 PPG, 3.0 APG) and big man Jaren Jackson (11.0 PPG, 73.7 FG%) into that mix as they are also playing quite well. JJJ’s match-up with ex-NBA teammate Jonas Valanciunas should be nice.
Hopefully, Brandon Ingram can also join in. He is yet to develop any rhythm and has been non-existent in the World Cup, scoring just 4.0 points with a 38.9% clip. It’s a huge dud for a supposed All-Star and 20-point scorer in the NBA.
Lithuania (4-0)
Projected starting five:
- Tedas Sekerskis
- Ignas Brazdeikis
- Rokas Jokubaitis
- Tomas Dimsa
- Jonas Valanciunas
Lithuania isn’t far off in terms of domination. They are streaking as well as they have won by 26, 30, 20, and 25 points (25.2 avg). In fact, that 20-point win was against Montenegro, and it’s eight more than what USA did.
New Orleans Pelicans’ man in the middle, Jonas Valanciunas, will continue headlining the Lithuanians’ offense and interior presence. Through four games, he’s averaging 14.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.0 block on 62.2% shooting. He’ll have his hands full facing the Americans, but he should have a ton to dish back in return. Valanciunas’ main aid, Rokas Jobukatis (13.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 1.3 SPG), a solid-scoring, playmaking guard, shouldn’t be a pushover as well, and could very well cause problems with his two-way style. Then, there’s their hustle man, former New York Knicks and Orlando Magic forward, Ignas Brezdeikis. Look for him to be active everywhere whenever he’s on the floor.
We’ll see what these squad is truly made of tomorrow. This is their biggest challenge yet, and we ought to witness a gigantic effort.
PREDICTION:
Handicap: USA (-15.5) wins but fails to cover.
Over/Under: The total goes over 179.
