Puerto Rico vs Serbia: Analysis and Prediction – Puerto Rico and Serbia will play game of second round on the FIBA World Cup 2023.
Puerto Rico vs Serbia (1/2): 11.5 / 1.03
Asian Handicap (+17.5 / -17.5): 1.95 / 1.83
Total Over/Under (173.5): 1.89 / 1.85
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
Puerto Rico
Porto Rico played the most thrilling match of the first round, fortunately emerging as winners. They defeated FIBA World Cup debutant South Sudan in overtime by 101-96.
That win is probably the only positive outcome that the Puerto Ricans could take from this match. We can say that their opponents essentially defeated themselves. The most productive individual in the Puerto Rico team was Stephen Thompson with 21 points, while Tremont Waters added 19. Puerto Rico allowed an unacceptably high number of points from a team that is offensively limited. This issue could be more pronounced against Serbia, which is a very proficient offensive team.
These two teams played a preparatory match about ten days ago, and Serbia completely dominated Puerto Rico. We believe that Puerto Rico will attempt to put up a stronger fight against the team led by Svetislav Pesic. How successful they will be in doing so remains a question. It’s certainly a positive aspect for them that they secured a win in first round and they will remain in contention for progressing to the next phase.
Serbia
The team led by head coach Svetislav Pesic from the sidelines secured a convincing win in the first round of the FIBA World Cup. Serbia was superior to the Chinese national team with a score of 105-63.
From the start of the match, Serbia demonstrated its superior quality. They quickly gained a significant lead and settled the question of the winner by halftime. As expected, the most efficient individual in the game while wearing the Serbian jersey was Bogdan Bogdanovic with 14 points, the same as Vanja Marinkovic. It’s important to note that the playing time was well distributed, considering the upcoming match against Puerto Rico in a few days. What might concern coach Pesic is the injury of Filip Petrusev; we will see how serious that injury is. The young player exited the game in the second quarter and did not return to the court.
The squad led by Svetislav Pesic is considerably more talented than Puerto Rico, as they have demonstrated during the preparation period. We believe that this match will be different, and Puerto Rico will prove to be a much more serious opponent. Nikola Milutinov is expected to be a player for whom opponents have no answer and who will make the difference. Serbia’s advantage also lies in its deeper bench, and we are confident that this match will serve the team in further solidifying their teamwork and preparing for the challenges that lie ahead.
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Puerto Rico vs Serbia H2H
In the past 10 years, Serbia and Puerto Rico played six matches, and Serbia won every time.
Absences and Injuries
Nikola Jokic, Nikola Kalinic, Vasilije Micic and Vladimir Lucic have all withdrawn from participating in the FIBA World Cup for various reasons. For Puerto Rico national team Jose Alvarado is absent due to his team’s decision.
Puerto Rico vs Serbia Prediction
As mentioned before, these two teams played a preparation match in Belgrade about ten days ago. Serbia dominated from the first minute, and the winner was clear after just 15 minutes of play. We are confident that Puerto Rico will perform much better than they did in Belgrade. They will try to surprise Serbia and secure an early spot in the next round. That’s their aspiration, but we also know that Serbia shares the same goal. With players like Bogdan Bogdanovic and the rest of the team, Serbia is significantly more talented, and we are confident in their victory, likely in a high-scoring match.
Therefore, we suggest Serbia to win by at least 18 points.
Tip-off Time: Monday 28.08.2023, 14:00 CET
Prediction: Serbia -17.5
Odds: 1.83
Sportsbook: 22Bet
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