FIBA World Cup Predictions: Lithuania – Montenegro (29-08-2023)

The FIBA World Cup 2023 is in full swing, with half of the teams having played two games each, including the Lithuanian men’s national basketball team.

The first two games were not difficult, but they have already guaranteed a place in the next round, and now it’s up to the Lithuanians to find out where they will finish in the group.

On Tuesday, Lithuanians will play the deciding match against the also undefeated Montenegro national team.

Yes, the Lithuanian team doesn’t look the strongest, but players of the main roster have much more experience than the Montenegrin players.

Kendrick Perry looks like the kind of defender who will be a big part of the Montenegrin team’s success, with 7 assists so far, but it will be a lot harder to play against the Lithuanian team’s good defensive players than Egypt or Mexico.

The statistics of the first two matches are not even comparable, as neither team has been seriously challenged. Montenegro has done its job by reaching the second round, and a win against Lithuania would be an extra point.

Neither team should feel the pressure, but Lithuania should certainly feel the desire to show who is stronger.

The biggest strength between the two teams is Jonas Valanciunas. Yes, the Montenegrin high scorers can score from long range, but they will have to defend against Jonas, and in the penalty area, one-on-one, he will not be stopped by any Montenegrin player.

The bookmakers are heavily underestimating Lithuania because there are no big names. However, Montenegro has its best players, but it’s all about the five players. 7 points is not an advantage that Lithuania can’t achieve and if there is a win, it should be by at least 10 points.

The Lithuanian national team went to the FIBA World Cup without high expectations, as the line-up is much weaker than at last year’s European Basketball Championship. Domantas Sabonis, Marius Grigonis, Lukas Lekavičius, Rokas Giedraitis and Arnas Butkevičius are absent this year.

Edgaras Ulanovas was again unavailable to help the national team, and the loss of these players meant that the national team came to the World Championship with debutants – Margiris Normantas, Gabrielius Maldūnas, Deividas Sirvydis, and after a long time, Vaidas Kariniauskas and Donatas Motiejūnas are playing in the team again.

On paper, the Lithuanian national team may not look so threatening, but names don’t always play in these championships. A good atmosphere and a clear playing style are sometimes better than a lot of stars.

We have seen this many times, and there are similar examples at every championship. Latvia’s victory over France showed that it is not the names that count.

The first two matches of the Lithuanian national team were not difficult, reminiscent of friendly matches where the main players do not spend most of the time on the court.

This schedule allowed the players to get up to speed and there is no doubt that before each game they were thinking about Tuesday’s game.

Montenegro also won the first two matches quite easily. They beat Mexico by 20 points and Egypt by 15. After the two games, Nikola Vucevic is, as expected, the most efficient and most useful player.

The high-scorer’s contract extension with the Chicago Bulls should cause trouble for the Lithuanian national team. Nikola Ivanovic is the second most valuable player and Kendrick Perry the third. They are the only three players to score in double digits.

Bojan Dubljevic, who has scored only 6.5 points in 21.4 minutes so far, can be singled out, but he can certainly do better than that, having spent many years in the Euroleague.

Together with N. Vucevic, he will be a disadvantage for the Lithuanian team, as they both shoot well from long range, which means that Jonas Valanciunas will have to defend further than the penalty area.

This FIBA World Cup 2023 prediction is for guidance only and we are not responsible for your bets.