Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Hungary Prediction: Nurkic to bring victory to his team

The Bosnians and Hungarians are considered the underdogs in their group at the EuroBasket, and their head-to-head encounter will decide who will continue to fight for a playoff spot. Bookmakers believe Bosnia and Herzegovina's squad is the favorite. Jusuf Nurkic and company must confirm their status.

The Bosnians regularly play in the finals of the European Championship, but they did not qualify for the last tournament. In 2015, the team finished only 23rd, but since then, they have definitely gotten stronger. The Balkan squad's game is now centered around Jusuf Nurkic, currently playing for Portland. Dzanan Musa, who played two years in the NBA and then returned to Europe, also plays an important role in the Bosnia and Herzegovina offense. Musa spent last season at Spanish team Breogan, averaging 20.1 points and shooting just under 50% from the field. Musa will spend the next year at Real Madrid.

The Bosnians played 4 World Cup qualifiers this summer, winning 2 games. Nurkic joined the national team in August, and with him, the team first lost to Montenegro (69-88), then sensationally defeated the French (96-90). The Balkans needed two overtimes to beat France, and it is worth noting the character of this team: even if they lost the lead in the final seconds, the players didn't let their guard down. Bosnia and Herzegovina shot well from beyond the arc, with Aleksandar Lazic and John Roberson doing particularly well. Nurkic dominated under the basket, scoring 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Portland's center also collected 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Hungarian squad is rarely included in the top tournaments. From 2001 to 2015, they missed EuroBasket, and a trip to the World Championship was out of the question. At the last continental forum, the Magyars overcame the group stage, beating the Czech Republic and Romania to finish in 16th place. The squad is still made up mainly by representatives of their home championship, although there are also strong legionnaires. The undisputed leader of the Hungarian team is Adam Hanga, who plays for Real Madrid, and in his career there are 4 more seasons at Barcelona. At Real Madrid, Hanga gets something like 20 minutes of playing time and has averaged 10.9 points in the Spanish playoffs. Mikael Hopkins of Reggio Emilia was also recently naturalized, and he plays a very important role in the Hungarians' attack.

Adam Hanga scored 20+ points in two World Cup qualifying games, but those matches were uneventful. First, the Hungarian national team lost to the Lithuanian squad with a score of 78-88, and then defeated the Czechs, 82-79. In their victorious game, Stojan Ivkovic's men made only 29.6% of all three-pointers, and only Mikael Hopkins was any good on this end. Good defense from beyond the arc made up for the turnovers, and the team also rebounded well on the opposite end of the floor with 14 offensive rebounds. Hanga had a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds with five assists.

The teams have played each other twice. The Hungarians won in the EuroBasket 2011 qualifying at home by 4 points, and then Bosnia and Herzegovina got the revenge, 73-64.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina won 5 of the last 10 matches;
• Hungary won 6 of the last 10 matches.

Hungary got to EuroBasket largely thanks to not all the strongest rivals coming out to play, while the Magyar team consisted of the local championship representatives. The visitors also improved in comparison with the qualifying, but the emergence of Jusuf Nurkic clearly outweighs. Now the Balkans will surely dominate under the basket, depriving the Hungarians of one of their biggest assets, which worked against the Czech Republic. Bosnia and Herzegovina's national team looks more promising on offense, and their recent results are encouraging. The win over France was especially impressive, and there is a chance to solidify the success in Week 1 of EuroBasket. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• H1 (-5.5) for 1.90;
• Total Under (155.5) for 1.76;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina To Win And Total < 153.5 for 2.85.

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