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Will Kevin Durant & Damian Lillard Play? Team USA vs Czech Republic Tokyo Olympics Basketball 2020: Prediction, Injuries, & Lineups

Published 07/29/2021, 1:48 AM EDT

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via Reuters

At Tokyo Olympics, if the Team USA wins Gold, it would come at the mercy of some early bruises. Team France shook the American team with a classic loss and that propelled Kevin Durant’s men to get their acts together. So they utilised their new-found reality check to demolish Iran with a 120-66 blowout victory.

Now, their next stop is Czech Republic. The two teams have never met each other in the Olympics and hence it is tough to weight them head-to-head. But given the Czech’s recent 77-97 loss to France, the winning momentum is certainly with USA.

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Team USA vs Czech Republic: Injury updates and lineup prediction

The American team has no injury troubles ahead of their third and final first round clash. Both Dame and Bulls’ LaVine will take care of their backcourt as they look forward to their second win.

Probable starting lineup – Draymond Green (PF), Kevin Durant (SF), Bam Adebayo (C), Damian Lillard (PG), and Zach LaVine (SG)

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Similar to the US, the Czech team also has no listed injury and is all healthy to compete at the highest level.

Probable starting lineup – Ondrej Balvin (PF), Jaromir Bohacik (SF), Jan Vesely (C), Tomas Satoransky (PG), and Blake Schilb (SG)

Most Shocking Results for Team USA in Olympics Basketball History

Who wins?

Well, the Czech team is also 1-1 after winning their game 84-78 against a weak Iranian Basketball Team. Patrik Auda had scored the game-high 16 points in that win. However, the challenge from Team USA will bring 10x tougher game and it will not be easy for them to overcome it.

For the European side, their memory of allowing the Iranian team cut the 22-point deficit to just four points can haunt them. If they’re to shake the Americans, the offensive guns like Blake Schilb and NBA’s Tomas Satoransky must go big.

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For the US, they will have Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and Jrue Holiday playing handsome minutes off the bench. Both DBook & Tutum had combined 30 points against Iran while Dame was a wizard from perimeter. 

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The Americans can exploit the Czech team’s poor long-range shooting and also make optimum use of transition plays to deepen pressure. So we predict an easy 20-point win for Team USA.

Watch this story – Kevin Durant, Allen Iverson, and Other NBA Stars Who Turned from Rags to Riches

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh

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Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
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