Greece vs Montenegro Basketball Preview: Prediction, odds, and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023

Greece and Montenegro collide in Manila on Sunday in their finale in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Both teams have been eliminated following their respective losses to Lithuania and Team USA on Friday, so we should expect a fun-to-watch game with nothing left to lose.

The Greeks have a 2-2 record in the FIBA World Cup. They defeated Jordan and survived an elimination game vs. New Zealand, while they were dominated by Team USA in between (81-109).

They had to defeat the Lithuanians to stay alive for a Top-8 spot, but came up short in the fourth and have now been eliminated (92-67).

Similarly, the Montenegrins (2-2) made it out of Group D with victories over Mexico and Egypt, but their heavy defeat to Lithuania (71-91) meant they would play a must-win game vs. Team USA.

Eventually, they came up short against the Americans (85-73), even though they were close until late in the fourth. As such, their FIBA World Cup campaign came to an end.

Greece vs. Montenegro 2023 FIBA World Cup: Preview

This is the second time these two national teams face each other in the FIBA World Cup. In their previous meeting in 2019 in China, Greece, with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup, had decimated Montenegro, which had Nikola Vucevic available, 85-60.

On Sunday, Vucevic and Kendrick Perry are expected to lead the way again for the Montenegrins, even though we should expect both to play fewer minutes since this is their final FIBA World Cup matchup.

Meanwhile, Bojan Dubljevic should be in a position to play well in this one, after struggling significantly in the tournament, averaging just 5.3 points per game.

On the contrary, Thomas Walkup and Ioannis Papapetrou should take over for the Greeks again, but their playing time remains questionable as they spent 33 and 34 minutes, respectively, on the floor vs. Lithuania.

Giannoulis Larentzakis is also expected to play reduced minutes, as he suffered an injury on Friday and had to play through it in the second half against Lithuania.

Overall, the playing time and performance of the aforementioned three players will determine how competitive the Greeks will be in this game.

Greece vs Montenegro: Prediction and odds

If Nikola Vucevic and Kendrick Perry play to their usual standards, we should expect Montenegro to win this one. However, this will not come without a fight for the Greeks, as they have shown they have the talent and determination to turn things around, despite missing their key players.

So, a hard-fought battle is expected.

Winner: Greece (2.19)

Spread: Greece (+2.5) 1.89 / Montenegro (-2.5) 1.89