This is going to be the first-ever meeting between Team US and independent Montenegro. We say “independent” because this country was a part of Yugoslavia, which – despite not existing for more than 20 years – is still sitting in shared first place for most FIBA World Cup wins (together with the United States).
Team US vs. Montenegro 2023 FIBA World Cup Odds, Time, and Prediction
This is going to be the first-ever meeting between Team US and independent Montenegro. We say “independent” because this country was a part of Yugoslavia, which – despite not existing for more than 20 years – is still sitting in shared first place for most FIBA World Cup wins (together with the United States).
Since gaining its independence, Montenegro hasn’t done much in the sport of basketball. However, in 2023, this national team looks very good. But are these guys good enough to cause an upset against Team US?
United States vs. Montenegro Odds
| Winner | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team US | -5000 |
| Montenegro | +1800 |
| Spread | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team US -26.5 | -110 |
| Montenegro +26.5 | -110 |
*Odds taken from bet365 on Thursday, August 31.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines
- Date: Friday, September 1, 2023
- Time: 8:40 AM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Is Team US the Dream Team of the 2023 Basketball World Cup?
The US basketball team is 3-0 since the start of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, winning each game by a difference of at least 27 points. Still, to be fair, the American ballers still haven’t played against a team that’s as strong as Montenegro.
You would think that Greece is a good team, but Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t taking part in the 2023 Basketball World Cup. His brother Thanasis has travelled to the Philippines, but he’s not been great so far. That said, beating the Greeks really isn’t much of an achievement.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Team US players haven’t been impressive. As you’d expect from NBA stars like Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), and Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), they’re doing pretty well. What’s got to worry them, however, is that Montenegro has a couple of NBA stars on its own.
Montenegro Plotting a Massive Upset
Montenegro is 2-1 at the 2023 Basketball World Cup with wins over Mexico and Egypt, and a loss to Lithuania. It was a heavy loss by 20 points, but a couple of Montenegrins did put on a great performance that day.
Among those are two Chicago Bulls centers, Nikola Vucevic and Marko Simonovic. They were great both offensively and defensively in that game, and we can only assume they’re going to keep on playing well. But what about their teammates? Can they do anything against mighty America?
Well, the Montenegro basketball team does have a couple of promising players from European clubs. Kendrick Perry from Unicaja is one of those, along with Dino Radoncic from Basket Zaragoza, and Nemanja Radovic from Murcia.
Obviously, if Team US didn’t win this game, it would be one of the biggest upsets in the history of American basketball. There are some gambling sites where the USA is priced at -10,000, while some don’t even offer odds for the United States – that’s how certain they are this team will win on September 1.
We can only agree, but we don’t think this is going to be another blowout win. On the contrary, we think Montenegro is going to give the Americans a hard time on the court on Friday. That said, we can only see Team US winning by 15-20 points, but not more than that. And the bookies have set the spread to 26.5 points!
Pick: Montenegro +26.5
