USA vs. Montenegro: Odds, Time, Live Stream for 2023 FIBA World Cup
The United States kick off the second round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup against Montenegro (4:40 a.m. ET, ESPN2 and ESPN+).
Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves and Co. produced a perfect 3-0 record through the first stage of group play to earn a spot in the second round.
The Americans will face Montenegro on Friday and Lithuania on Sunday. They need victories in both games to feel safe about qualifying for the quarterfinal round.
The top two teams from each second-round group advance to the final eight. Records from the first round carry over into the second stage of the competition.
Montenegro, who is led by Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls, went 2-1 in its opening group phase with its only loss coming to Lithuania.
The European nation already secured its best-ever finish at the World Cup by advancing to the second round. It took 25th place four years ago.
Spread: United States (-25.5)
Over/Under: 181.5
Money Line: United States (-8000; bet $8,000 to win $100); Montenegro (+1800; bet $100 to win $1,800)
The Americans experienced no trouble getting through the group phase.
They won all of their Group C games by more than 25 points and received a balanced scoring output from their NBA stars.
Edwards took over in the final group-stage game against Jordan with 22 points. Paolo Banchero and Reaves were the top scorers in the other two contests.
The Americans need to follow the same formula that got them to the second round. They need to be unselfish with the basketball and have one or two players take over in the scoring column as the game goes on.
Edwards is the player who suits the takeover role the most. He was the star of the team during the buildup to the tournament and showcased his scoring leadership in the blowout win over Jordan on Wednesday.
Steve Kerr's team is expected to win big once again on Friday. That is evidenced by the 25.5-point spread in its favor.
A double-digit victory that features one or two 20-point performances and at least three players above the 15-point mark would be the ideal way for the Americans to get ready for their Sunday clash against Lithuania, which is the harder of the two games in this stage.
Vucevic was Montenegro's leading scorer in each of its three Group D contests.
The Chicago Bulls center had 27 points and 10 rebounds versus Mexico, 16 points and seven boards in a win over Egypt and 19 points in the loss to Lithuania.
The Americans' defensive key should be to slow down Vucevic and make the European-based players on the roster beat them.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bobby Portis should be given that defensive assignment by Kerr and his staff.
Vucevic produced four double-doubles in the last two seasons in matchups against Jackson and the Memphis Grizzlies, per StatMuse. He was held under 30 percent from the field in two of those matchups.
Jackson can contain Vucevic by forcing him further away from the basketball and affecting his shots. The Grizzlies big man does not need to worry about a high rebound total. He has Edwards, Josh Hart and others able to clean up the boards after his defensive successes.
Brandon Ingram and Mikal Bridges could also be used to defend Vucevic because of their length when Jackson or Portis are not on the floor.
As long as the Americans contain Vucevic, they should be in a terrific spot to pull away before the fourth quarter and shift their focus to Lithuania with a 4-0 record in hand.
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