2020 Tokyo Olympics Basketball Friendlies: USA vs Argentina Prediction & Match Preview

The USA will take on Argentina in a 2020 Tokyo Olympics basketball friendly on Tuesday, July 13.

Both teams are coming off defeats, with Team USA suffering a shock loss for a second consecutive game. They lost to the Australians by a scoreline of 91-83, and will now look to win their remaining three exhibition games.

Meanwhile, Argentina lost their last game to a high-flying Nigerian side. Nigeria prevailed 94-71 in a game in which Jahlil Okafor scored a game-high 15 points.

Match Details

Fixture - USA vs Argentina | 2020 Tokyo Olympics Basketball Friendlies

Date & Time - Tuesday, July 13th; 6:00 PM ET (Wednesday, July 14th; 3:30 AM IST).

Venue - Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, NV

USA Preview

Team USA has had the worst possible start to their pre-2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign. Two unexpected losses have put them in a precarious situation, as head coach Gregg Popovich has struggled to find the right balance in the starting lineup.

Damian Lillard led the USA in scoring in their last game as he dropped 22 points on the Australians. Kevin Durant scored 17 and Beal contributed 12 points, but Popovich will be expecting a bigger contribution from the star duo.

Defense has been a massive concern for the USA, and the Olympic favorites will have to tidy up on the defensive side of the ball if they are to win the gold medal.

Team News: USA

The USA are likely to field their strongest lineup against the Argentinians tonight. Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal will start in Gregg Popovich's backcourt. Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum will take up two forward spots, while Bam Adebayo is expected to start at the 5.

The 🇺🇸 #USABWNT has arrived to Vegas! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/h3PYKQSxj4
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 13, 2021

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Draymond Green and Jerami Grant will likely play major minutes as part of the bench unit.

Also Checkout: USA Men's Olympic Basketball Team Roster and Players

USA Predicted Lineup

Point Guard - Damian Lillard | Shooting Guard - Bradley Beal | Small Forward - Kevin Durant | Power Forward - Jayson Tatum | Center - Bam Adebayo

Also Read: NBA Trade Rumors: Making a case for and against the Golden State Warriors trading Andrew Wiggins in the 2021 NBA offseason

Argentina Preview

Japan v Argentina - International Basketball Games

The Argentinians will be looking to give 5-time FIBA World Cup participant Luis Scola the perfect send-off. It will be Scola's 5th Olympics and he, along with Denver Nuggets point guard Facundo Campazzo, will be tasked with leading the team's offense.

Argentina are the 4th ranked team in the world, but their performance against Nigeria certainly didn't reflect their lofty position. They are dark-horse candidates to land the coveted gold medal, but will have to elevate their game if they are to be in contention for the gold.

Team News: Argentina

Argentina will start Facundo Campazzo at point guard, with Luca Vildoza taking up the shooting guard position. Gabriel Deck will start at the 3, while Luis Scola is the favorite to start at power forward. Francisco Caffaro will be the team's starting center tonight.

Also Checkout: Argentina Men's Basketball Olympic Team 2021

After beating the number 1 team in world basketball, D’Tigers wallops the number 4 team in the world, Argentina. pic.twitter.com/SYFA8RHRR4
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) July 13, 2021

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Argentina Predicted Lineup

Point Guard - Facundo Campazzo | Shooting Guard - Luca Vildoza | Small Forward - Gabriel Deck | Power Forward - Luis Scola | Center - Francisco Caffaro

USA vs Argentina Prediction

Team USA are the clear favorites to win the game tonight, despite their successive losses. They have some of the best players in the world in the form of Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant, and Gregg Popovich's side should be able to make short work of this Argentina side.