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Team USA will face Czech Republic in a Group A fixture at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics men’s basketball competition in Saitama, Japan on Saturday, July 31. The two teams have identical 1-1 records at the 2021 Olympics so far.
Czech Republic lost to France 97-77 in their last game while Team USA beat Iran 120-66. Team USA needed the win against Iran, not only to regain their confidence, but also to regain the respect of the world. Winners of Olympic gold since 2008, the Americans showed why they were favored to take home the top prize with the 54-point win.
The Czech Republic, on the other hand, defeated Iran in their Olympic opener before losing to France in their second game. France were expected to defeat the Czechs ahead of the matchup, and they ultimately did.
Match Details
Fixture - USA vs Czech Republic | 2020 Tokyo Olympics Basketball
Date & Time - Saturday, July 31st, 5:30 PM IST (9:00 PM local time)
Venue - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Czech Republic Preview
The Czech Republic side are led by Tomas Satoransky, who plays professionally for the Chicago Bulls. Their center, Jan Vesely, played four seasons in the NBA but hasn't featured in the league since 2014.
Against France, it was Jan Vesely who led the team with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting with five rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Forward-center Ondrej Balvin kept pace with Veseley with 18 points, eight rebounds, two steals and three blocks of his own.
Also Check out: Czech Republic Men's Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Tomas Satoransky and Patrik Auda added 14 points each, but the combined efforts of these four players couldn’t hold off France, who showed dominant form in their second straight win in the Olympics. They had beaten Team USA in their opening match.
Team News: Czech Republic
The Czech Republic are expected to continue starting Tomas Satoransky and Blake Schilb in the backcourt with Jaromir Bohacik, Ondrej Balvin and Jan Vesely manning the frontcourt.
The Twin Towers pairing of Balvin and Vesely could cause problems for Team USA.
Patrik Auda, David Jelinek and Jakub Sirina should come off the bench to relieve the starters and make key contributions.
Czech Republic Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Tomas Satoransky l Shooting Guard - Blake Schilb l Small Forward - Jaromir Bohacik l Power Forward - Ondrej Balvin l Center - Jan Vesely
USA Preview
After a poor showing against France, Team USA broke through in their second game to demonstrate how much firepower coach Gregg Popovich’s side have in their arsenal. Damian Lillard made seven 3-pointers for 21 points to lead the Americans to a lopsided win over Iran.
Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum added 16 and 14 points, respectively, to support Lillard. It was a total team effort by the US which had all players score at least four points each.
Also Check out: USA Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Can Team USA duplicate this type of effort against Czech Republic? It’s possible. The Americans should be heavy favorites against them.
Team News: USA
Popovich made a lineup change against Iran and he could continue sticking with the additions of Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker as starters. Holiday and Lillard should be the starting backcourt for Team USA.
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are likely going to be the starting forwards with Bam Adebayo as the starting center once again.
Team USA Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Jrue Holiday l Shooting Guard - Damian Lillard l Small Forward - Devin Booker l Power Forward - Kevin Durant l Center - Bam Adebayo
USA vs Czech Republic Prediction
Team USA may have lost to France in the opener but the Czech Republic shouldn’t be a problem for them. Despite the size of the Czechs' frontcourt, the Americans will blister them from the outside with Booker, Durant and Adebayo leading them away from the paint to negate the size difference.
Team USA will have to be wary of the Czech Republic’s Tomas Satoransky. But with a plethora of guards that he will be up against, Satoransky should pose just a minor problem for the US.
Where to Watch Czech Republic vs USA
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics basketball competition between Team USA and Czech Republic will be livestreamed in the US on Peacock, the free streaming service of NBC.
NBC is the sole distributor of Olympic coverage in the US, but basketball games will be on tape delay. They will distribute coverage across its family of networks including NBC, NBC Sports, NBC's Olympic Channel, CNBC, USA, and the Golf Channel. The games can also be streamed on NBC's Olympic website, NBC.com or the NBC app.
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