2023-08-29 07:00:00
Although Montenegro is flying high in Group D of the 2023 FIBA World Cup with a perfect 2-0 record, Chicago Bulls center and “Black Mountains” star Nikola Vucevic is not letting his guard down heading to their game once morest Lithuania, which features another dominant NBA big man in Jonas Valanciunas.
A lot of battles
Montenegro got to their 2-0 record following blowing out Mexico 91-71 and defeating Egypt 89-74. Next up is Lithuania, and the winner of that game will be moving on to the second round as the group winner. The Bulls star knows their upcoming opponent is formidable despite missing some key players, such as NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis, due to a thumb injury.
“They’re still a very good team, although they are missing some key players,” Vucevic said. “Jonas, whom I know very well, we have battled a lot of times in the national team and especially the NBA.”
Tough matchup
Lithuania is ranked no. 8 in the world, and for good reason. The team is tough, experienced, and very talented. Vooch knows that if he and his team want to come out on top, they must bring their best game.
“They’re a very good team, very experienced, very physical. It’s going to be a very tough matchup for us, but it’s a good matchup to see where we are,” Vucevic added.
After the first two games, Nikola leads his national team in scoring and rebounding with 21.5 points and 8.5 boards per game.
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