Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball Quarterfinals: Slovenia vs Germany Prediction & Match Preview - August 3rd, 2021
Slovenia will take on Germany in the quarter-final stage of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics men’s basketball competition in Saitama, Japan.
With a 3-0 record in Group C competition, Slovenia is favored to win against Germany, which finished 1-2 in Group B.
Powered by Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, the Slovenians have momentum on their side after coming out like gangbusters in the Olympics with their performance so far.
Team Germany will have its work cut out on Tuesday. The Germans advanced to the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-place teams during the group round-robin competition after winning against Nigeria, 99-92.
Match Details
Fixture - Slovenia vs Germany | 2020 Tokyo Olympics Basketball
Date & Time - Tuesday, August 3rd, 10:00 AM JST (Tuesday, August 3rd, 6:30 AM IST)
Venue - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Slovenia Preview
After strong performances in the first two games, Luka Doncic shot just 2-of-7 from the field in their 95-87 win against Spain on Sunday. Nevertheless, the NBA star nearly had the first triple-double in an Olympic basketball tournament since Team USA’s LeBron James did the trick in 2012. Doncic recorded 12 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in a terrific all-round performance for Slovenia.
Also Check out: Slovenia Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Forward Vlatko Cancar led Slovenia with 22 points, while Mike Tobey and Klemen Prepelic had 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Team News: Slovenia
Team Slovenia will be led at the point guard spot by Doncic and his backcourt mate Jaka Blazic. Vlatko Cancar and Zoran Dragic will take the forward slots, while Mike Tobey will man the center position.
Klemen Prepelic and Edo Muric are the key reserves for Slovenia.
Make no mistake, Slovenia goes only as far as Doncic goes. He exploded for 48 points in their debut game against Argentina and will be counted on to take his side as far as possible in the Olympics.
Slovenia Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Luka Doncic l Shooting Guard - Jaka Blazic l Small Forward - Vlatko Cancar l Power Forward - Zoran Dragic l Center - Mike Tobey
Germany Preview
Germany doesn’t have the LA Lakers’ Dennis Schroder on its roster, and it has lowered their chances of going deeper in the Olympics. However, they have a couple of NBA players in Isaac Bonga and Moritz Wagner, who is averaging 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in three games at the Olympics.
Also Check out: Germany Men's Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Germany's win against Nigeria earned them a spot in the quarterfinals, and they can continue their basketball journey if they can defeat Slovenia on Tuesday.
Their size could pose problems for their opponents, but they have to make sure they find a way to stop Doncic from wreaking havoc against their defense.
Team News: Germany
Point guard Maodo Lo will take on point guard duties for Team Germany, with Andreas Obst by his side at shooting guard. The team has Bonga and Johannes Thiemann to solidify the forward positions. Meanwhile, Johannes Voigtmann will play center for the Germans.
Wagner, Danilo Barthel and Niels Giffey will be the key men off the bench for Germany, giving them a solid reserve corps that could create trouble for Slovenia’s bench.
Germany Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Maodo Lo l Shooting Guard - Isaac Bonga l Small Forward - Isaac Bonga l Power Forward - Johannes Thiemann l Center - Johannes Voigtmann
Slovenia vs Germany Prediction
Slovenia’s chances of making it past the quarterfinals lie in the hands of Luka Doncic. To make it past Germany, the team will have to rely on their superstar guard to take them there.
After three games, it’s possible that Germany has solved some of its offensive and defensive issues and is ready to play its best basketball. Slovenia isn’t unbeatable, but Germany will have to be in sync defensively to stop another Doncic eruption.
However, expect Team Slovenia to defeat Team Germany and advance to the semifinals.
Where to watch Slovenia vs Germany
Eurosport will have extensive coverage of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Europe, as will Discovery +. Over in America, the games are being shown exclusively on NBC and their various streaming platforms. Meanwhile, in India, the Sony Sports Network and OTT platform Sony Liv are broadcasting the action.
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