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“…may God help them”: Nikola Jokic’s Serbia squad is the best bet in 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup

By Michael Walton

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 21: Nikola Jokic #14 of Serbia during the Gold Medal Game on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 21: Nikola Jokic #14 of Serbia during the Gold Medal Game on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Team USA has the best odds to win the FIBA Basketball World Cup but we breakdown why Serbia is the team to watch

The FIBA Basketball World Cup kicks off on August 31st and while Team USA is still the clear cut favorite, there are many legit contenders for the gold medal in a year in which Team USA has undergone a myriad of changes.

Sportsbooks FanDuel and DraftKings have Team USA as favorites at -600 and -500 respectively but Serbia possesses the second-best odds in the field and are without a doubt the best bet you can make in terms of 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup action.

Serbia has +650 odds via DraftKings and +1000 odds via FanDuel to win the tournament, making them our best bet in the tournament. The Serbian national basketball team’s head coach, Sasha Djordjevic, is uber-confident in his team’s ability and with good reason. Djordjevic is no way scared of Team USA, going as far as to say, “Let’s let [Team USA] play their basketball and we will play ours and if we meet, may God help them”, during an interview on Serbian television.

Between a plethora of NBA talent, an interesting Team USA roster and having one of the best talents in the tournament on their roster, Serbia promises to be a tough out and they are motivated to shock the world at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Serbia will kickoff its FIBA World Cup action with a matchup against Angola in Foshan, China on August 31. Aside from Angola, Serbia’s group contains the Phillippines and Italy. Outside of Serbia, no team from this group has finished in the top four since 1978.

So with a highly motivated group with great team chemistry, Serbia will be looking to take advantage of their skill and comfort level in a wide-open field.

Here are three reasons Serbia is our best bet in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

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