Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball Quarter-finals: Australia vs Argentina Prediction & Match Preview - August 3rd, 2021
After winning all their group games, Australia will take on Argentina on Tuesday in the quarter-final of the Tokyo Olympics men's basketball tournament.
'The Boomers' outlasted tough opposition in their group, including a three-point win against Italy, by relying on their plethora of NBA stars. Argentina, meanwhile, have had a tougher road to the knockout stage, losing their opening two games against Slovenia and Spain.
However, in a decisive contest against hosts, Japan, the Argentines came out 97-77 victors to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Match Details
Fixture - Australia vs Argentina | Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball.
Date & Time - Tuesday, August 3rd, 8:00 AM Eastern Time (Tuesday, August 3rd, 5:30 PM IST).
Venue - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
Australia Preview
It was expected coming into the Tokyo Olympics that Australia would be among the medal contenders, and they haven't disappointed so far. After the group phase, Australia ranked third for most points scored and fourth for +/-. This is particularly impressive, considering the fact their group was arguably the most balanced of the three.
Also Check out: Australian Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Two comfortable wins over Germany and Nigeria bookmarked their narrow win against the Italians. While they haven't looked as fluid in offense as they would have preferred to, they have been able to rely on their defensive solidity. Among all the teams in the group stage, Australia ranked second for steals per contest and third for rebounds.
Team News: Australia
Patty Mills has by far been the standout performer for Australia and one of the best players in the tournament. He ranked third among all players for points per game in the group phase (21.7) and seventh in assists (5.7). There is no doubt that he will lead the Australian team alongside Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova in the backcourt.
Australia were dealt a huge blow before their win against Germany when it was announced that Toronto Raptors center Aron Baynes would miss the remainder of the tournament due to a neck injury. He had averaged nine points and six rebounds in the previous two encounters.
Baynes will likely have to be replaced by Nick Kay, who put up 16 points in Australia's final group game and is the team's second-highest scorer so far.
Elsewhere, it is likely the Australian side will remain unchanged, with Utah Jazz swingman Joe Ingles at the small forward position and Jock Landale at the five. Landale has been shooting the ball well and has the side's second-best +/- (12) so far.
Australia Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Patty Mills | Shooting Guard - Matthew Dellavedova | Small Forward - Joe Ingles | Power Forward - Nick Kay | Center - Jock Landale.
Argentina Preview
After suffering a humbling defeat at the hands of Slovenia in their group opener, Argentina bounced back with an improved performance in a narrow loss to Spain before comfortably beating Japan to book their quarter-final berth.
Argentina came into the Tokyo Olympics ranked fourth in the world, but have struggled to live up to that billing and need to produce their best showing of the tournament against Australia. They have so far excelled in offense, scoring the third-most points per game, but have shot the ball poorly from the deep and have struggled in defense, conceding 114 points to Slovenia.
Also Check out: Argentina Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Team News: Argentina
Argentina's plethora of scoring options has been on full display so far in the Tokyo Olympics, with three of their players averaging over 13 points per game. Former Houston Rockets star Luis Scola has impressed the most. Despite being 41, Scola has put up almost 20 points per contest so far, along with 5.3 rebounds.
His place is the most secure in the team, and so too is Facundo Campazzo's. The diminutive point guard has scored over 20 points in two games, dishing out an impressive 11 assists in Argentina's win over Japan. The only other Argentine to have started all three games at the Tokyo Olympics is center Marcos Delia.
Aside from these three, guard Nicolas Laprovittola has started the last two matchups for Argentina, and put up a game-high 27 points against Spain. He should keep his place in the backcourt, though, who will play alongside him is up for debate.
Patricio Garino was injured before their win against Japan, which saw Gabriel Deck play as a small-ball five. Former Atlanta Hawks forward Nicolas Brassino is likely to take the spot on Tuesday.
Argentina Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Facundo Campazzo | Shooting Guard - Nicolas Laprovittola | Small Forward - Nicolas Brassino | Power Forward - Luis Scola | Center - Marcos Delia.
Australia vs Argentina Match Prediction
A group-stage record of 1-2 doesn't paint the complete picture for Argentina heading into their matchup with Australia. Although the Aussies will be favorites, they will be in for a tough task defending the Argentine scorers, particularly in the backcourt, where Campazzo and Laprovittola have combined for 29 points per game so far along with ten assists.
In a rematch of old foes, Australian stars Joe Ingles and Patty Mills will look to avenge their loss in the dying seconds against Argentina at the 2010 FIBA World Cup, thanks to Luis Scola's free throws.
Where to watch Australia vs Argentina?
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics is being shown in Australia on Channel Seven, 7two and 7mate. Australian basketball fans can also watch the Games on streaming platform 7Plus.
NBC have shown Olympic coverage in the US. The network have shown action across NBC, NBC Sports, NBC's Olympic Channel, CNBC, USA and the Golf Channel.