Team USA and the Puerto Rico are set for the final game in Pool C on Saturday, August 3rd. Team USA has won impressively over former NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and his Serbian team and the surprising, best story in basketball during these Paris Olympics in South Sudan. Puerto Rico has not fared as well in pool play. With losses to South Sudan and Serbia, the Puerto Rican National team is sitting at 0-2 with the heavily favored (43-point favorites) Americans up next. Here are some storylines to look for during the matchup:
What lineup will Steve Kerr use?
With Team USA playing so well during their stay in Paris, the storylines have been more about WHO is getting play time versus who isn’t. Against Serbia, Jayson Tatum from the Boston Celtics didn’t log one minute of playing time. There were all sorts of theories and second guessing going on but Coach Steve Kerr simply said, ‘We needed to get Kevin Durant back in the flow’ and on a team as talented as Team USA there will seem to be games where guys who are superstars on an average night in the NBA end up not seeing the floor according to the gameplan. Likewise in the second pool game against South Sudan, former NBA MVP Joel Embiid was a ‘DNP – CD’. In the showcase game vs South Sudan, Team USA struggled with South Sudan’s guard focused attack, so Kerr ended up going with the more versatile duo of Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis to man the middle for the Americans in official Olympic play. Kerr promised that Embiid would again get his minutes when the team matches up with Puerto Rico.
Can Puerto Rico pull off a miracle?
Puerto Rico has had a tough run at these Olympic games so far. They first faced the relentless ‘fun and gun’ South Sudan team in their first pool game and then ran into a Serbian team that desperately needed a win to give themselves a realistic shot at the knockout round. If Puerto Rico wants a chance to pull off a monumental upset, they will have to begin the game hot from the three-point line….and stay hot for the remainder of the game. Puerto Rico’s best candidate to provide the shooting is New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. Being Puerto Rico’s best player on the roster, Alvarado tried to single-handedly pull his team over the finish line vs South Sudan with a display of 26 points, but they weren’t enough. He briefly left the game due to an ankle injury but returned to finish the game.
With Puerto Rico officially eliminated from the knockout round and Team USA safely in, the Puerto Ricans can only hope that the Americans simply lose interest in the matchup. However, Coach Kerr has already stated that he wants to win big to garner the number 1 seed overall in the knockout round.
Realistically, the prospects for Puerto Rico beating Team USA are pretty slim, but with the unpredictable nature of international basketball and a team that’s loose and has nothing to lose, could make this game interesting.
Likely line-ups
Team USA starters:
LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday
Puerto Rico starters:
Isaiah Pinero, Ismael Romero, George Conditt IV, Tremont Waters, Jose Alvarado
Game details
Where is the game being played?
The game will be held at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France
What time will it start?
The game is scheduled to begin at 11:15 EST, Saturday August 3rd.
How can I watch it?
It can be watched on NBC.
