Stadium: Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo.
Luka Dončić has lost his first match with the Slovenian national team, but there is still a chance for him to win an Olympic medal. Slovenia are considered the favorites of the match against Australia. Can they make a comeback after an upsetting defeat in the semifinals?
Slovenia form
Luka Dončić is performing phenomenally in his first Olympics, and he's already close to several game records. The Slovenian superstar has the 2nd most assists per game (18 assists against France), the 2nd most points per game (48 points) and one of the three triple-doubles in the history of the Olympics. However, we can't ignore Luca's teammates. Mike Tobey is stretching the court well, clawing offensive rebounds and averaging 13.8 points per game. Vlatko Cancar and Klemen Prepelič also helps a lot on offense, with Prepelič being the team's 2nd leading scorer (15 points per game). Zoran Dragic, an energetic forward, can be always helpful, while Jaka Blažič always makes the much needed three-pointers. Overall, Slovenia is hitting 37% of its shots from beyond the arc, but that number has slipped slightly in the last 2 games.
Aleksandar Sekulić's men hit 10 of 30 three-pointers in the semifinals match against France, but the struggle continued until the final seconds. Dončić did not make any shots at all in that game, but he focused on his play-making role and provided 18 assists. At the end, he avoided shooting but helped Prepelič with a pass, which was blocked by Nicolas Batum. They lost the match with a final score of 89-90. Clement Prepelič scored 17 points and made several important shots from beyond the arc, though his free-throw shooting was off-putting at times. Mike Tobey was the team's top scorer with 23 points.
Australia form
The Australians were one step away from an Olympic medal five years ago when they lost in the third-place match to Spain. They had never managed to get on the podium despite having played 5 times in the tournament’s semifinals. The Boomers have won 4 of 5 matches in Tokyo and have been among the best in terms of defense. Also, the Australian national team is in 2nd place in realization of three-pointers (40,4 %), and Patty Mills became the leading shooter of the team and the undisputed leader in their offense. The Brooklyn guard averaged 19.6 points per game. One of the big surprises of the Olympics was Jock Landale who effectively replaced the injured Aron Baynes at the center position. Landale earned his contract in San Antonio.
In the semifinal game against the United States Brian Goorjian's wards were ahead by two quarters, but in the third quarter they scored only 10 points and let their opponent slip away too far. The final score was 78-97 in favor of the Americans. They managed to make a decent amount of 3-pointers: 11 of their 26 attempts were successful. Mills shot well from beyond the arc, but he struggled with his passing and mid-range shots. Mills had 15 points and 8 assists on 5-of-14 shooting and he became the highest scorer on the team.
Expert betting tips
The Australians have shown a great defense in this tournament, but Dončić can outplay them. The Slovenian leader missed shots against the French, and he'll need to improve his three-point shooting. Dončić creates a lot of great field-goal opportunities for his teammates, and this team has proven to be well organized and ready for action. I would suggest placing a wager on the following outcomes:
- Slovenia to win for 1.66;
- Slovenia to win + Handicap (-2.5) for 1.91;
- Total over 182.5 for 1.85
Other predictions
