Dominican Republic vs Serbia FIBA World Cup 2023, September 3: Date, time, where to watch and live stream details
A must-win game takes place in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday, September 3, featuring the Dominican Republic and Serbia. The winner will advance to the Top-8 of the FIBA World Cup.
Both teams are coming off an upset in their Second Round opener, which turned things upside down in the group.
Serbia led by double digits against Italy but came up short in the fourth quarter and the Italians emerged victorious (76-78). Meanwhile, the Dominicans allowed 102 points vs Puerto Rico and suffered a painful loss (97-102), missing the opportunity to book their ticket to the quarter-finals of the FIBA World Cup.
The winner of this game will advance to the Top-8 and will join the winner of Italy vs Puerto Rico game, which takes place on Saturday afternoon (local time).
Dominican Republic vs Serbia FIBA World Cup Game Details
Date: Sunday, September 3
Time: 8:00 a.m ET
Venue: Quezon, Araneta Coliseum
Karl-Anthony Towns leads the way for the Dominicans in scoring (24.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.8) and is coming off a 39-point performance in the loss to Puerto Rico on Friday.
The superstar of the Minnesota Timberwolves will have a key role for the Dominicans on Sunday and will need to stay away from foul trouble if he wants to make a difference for his team.
The Dominicans also expect Andres Feliz to keep up his excellent FIBA World Cup performance, where he is averaging 18.8 ppg to go with 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds for a team-leading PIR of 26.3.
On the other hand, five players average double-digit scoring for the Serbians, with Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Milutinov and Nikola Jovic leading the way.
Bogdanovic has 18.0 points ppg in the FIBA World Cup, along with 5.3 assists on 28.3 minutes on the floor, while Milutinov adds 13.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg for a PIR of 24.0. Last but not least, Nikola Jovic averages 14.0 points for a PIR of 16.5.
The aforementioned trio is Serbia's best chance to win this game and reach its minimum target, a place in the Top-8 of the FIBA World Cup.
Dominican Republic vs. Serbia where to watch
This must-win game will be streamed live from ESPN+, which holds the rights for the rest of the FIBA World Cup action as well.
Similarly, FIBA's official streaming channel, Courtside 1891, will also stream the game. Both platforms need a subscription and are not for free.
What to expect in the Dominican Republic vs Serbia game
Both teams missed the opportunity to clinch a spot in the Top-8 on Friday and now all bets are off for this must-win game.
The Serbians should be focused all game long and avoid blowing a double-digit lead again. If this happens Sunday, it could cost them the win.
On the contrary, the Dominicans should play better defense if they want to have a chance to qualify. Allowing 102 points again is not an option here and that will be their key to victory. We should expect a hard-fought battle with Serbia winning in the end.