Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball: USA vs Iran Prediction & Match Preview - July 28th, 2021
Team USA will go head to head with Iran in their second game in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday. Both teams are coming off opening-game losses to France and the Czech Republic, respectively and need to win all their remaining group-stage games to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Match Details
Fixture - USA vs Iran | Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball.
Date & Time - Wednesday, July 28th, 12:40 AM Eastern Time (Wednesday, July 28th, 10:10 AM IST).
Venue - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
Team USA Preview
Team USA unexpectedly lost 73-86 to France in their first game in Group 'A' at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after missing a series of shots in crunch time. 2021 NBA champion Jrue Holiday was the standout performer for USA, scoring 18 points and registering a team-high four assists.
Head coach Gregg Popovich will expect better performances from NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard, who ended the game with ten and 11 points, respectively. Durant and co. have looked a bit rusty since pre-season, but will have to pull up their socks as their team now have two must-win games to stay in medal contention at the Tokyo Olympics.
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Team News: USA
There are no fresh injury concerns for Team USA, who are expected to start Damian Lillard and Zach LaVine in the backcourt against Iran. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets ace and 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant will start at the 3, while Bam Adebayo and Draymond Green will make up the Team USA frontcourt.
Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker are expected to play significant minutes off the bench.
USA Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Damian Lillard l Shooting Guard - Zach LaVine l Small Forward - Kevin Durant l Power Forward - Draymond Green l Center - Bam Adebayo.
Iran Preview
Iran began their 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign on a losing note, succumbing to an 84-78 loss to the Czech Republic. But Mehran Shahintab's side will take inspiration from the fact that they were able to eat up a major portion of the Czechs' 22-point lead, not giving up until the final whistle.
Behnam Yakhchali had a game-high 23 points for Iran, and he is expected to shoulder the load of scoring once again when his team takes on the mighty Team USA. Mohammad Jamshidi scored 16, and Hamed Haddadi had 15 points and 10 rebounds in that game, while Yakhchali should lead the team's offense.
Team News: Iran
Iran have not reported any injuries ahead of their game against Team USA. Benam Yakhchali will start at point guard, and Mohhamed Jamshidi is expected to retain his place as the team's starting shooting guard. Captain Samad Bahrami will start at small forward, with Arsalan Kazemi taking up the other forward spot. Hammed Haddadi will start at center.
Navid Rezaeifar and Michael Rostampour will come off the bench to provide their team with a scoring punch.
Iran Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Benam Yakhchali l Shooting Guard - Mohhamed Jamshidi l Small Forward - Samad Bahrami l Power Forward - Arsalan Kazemi l Center - Hammed Haddadi.
USA vs Iran Prediction
Team USA's camp is disappointed after the loss against France, but the team will likely bounce back with a win against Iran. Gregg Popovich's team is filled with talent at every position, and they should be able to make short work of the Iranian team.
Where to watch USA vs Iran?
The USA vs Iran game at the Tokyo Olympics will be televised live on CNBC and Peacock. The game can also be watched through an NBA league pass. In India, the match will be shown on Sony Channels, including Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 3 and Sony ESPN, and the SonyLiv app.
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