SINGAPORE (Singapore) - The FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024 tips off on Thursday with a two-game slate. The four teams that will be in action in Singapore Indoor Stadium represent four different continents.
NBA G League United vs. Quimsa (Group B)
Key matchup: As it often is when you are facing a team from North America, you can expect a lot of on-ball pressure all over the court, which is why you need your guards to be extra careful and take care of business.
Quimsa will put their faith in Juan Brussino's hands once again. The guard joined them back in 2017 and is considered a club legend, with double digit numbers in scoring across his six previous campaigns with the team.
Brussino is a two-time BCL Americas champion, and was named to the All-Star Five of the competition for the 2023-24 season.
Meanwhile, the two games that the NBA G League United played against Mega MIS from Serbia showed that they have a rock solid guard rotation too.
Brussino will have to keep Brodric Thomas quiet, and it sounds like a nightmare of a job, since Thomas went off for 18 points in just 13 minutes of work in those aforementioned United games.
Thomas is a 27-year-old with plenty of NBA G League experience, having suited up for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Canton Charge, Maine Celtics and San Diego Clippers. He's also played in 44 NBA games, most of them with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If Thomas can score in 20s and keep Brussino in single digits, it could be NBA G League United's first win.
If Brussino manages to do his usual thing and find a way to 15+ points and 5+ assists, Quimsa could be a step closer to another Final.
X factors: Three-point shooting. NBA G League United will run away if their three-pointers are falling the same way they were in Game 2 against Mega, when they shot 13-of-29 from deep, and held Mega to just four triples in the game to win by 33.
If they can convert 40 percent (or higher) of their long range shots in Singapore, United could be the team to beat in Group B.
How to watch: The game tips off at 17:00 local time in Singapore, which is 6:00 a.m. in Argentina, 5:00 a.m. on the east coast in the United States, and 2:00 a.m. on the west coast.
Basketball fans worldwide will have the chance to watch all games LIVE from Singapore, either on a TV channel, on the official FIBA YouTube channel, on Courtside 1891 or via a streaming service. You can find the list of broadcasters here.
Related news:
Petro De Luanda vs. Unicaja (Group A)
Key matchup: The big guys of Petro De Luanda will face one of the toughest possible assignments in this one. The Basketball Champions League Europe winners, Unicaja, have arguably the deepest frontcourt in all of Europe at the moment.
As if David Kravish, Dylan Osetkowski and Yankuba Sima weren't dangerous enough last season, this summer they have new colleagues in Killian Tillie and the 2.18m (7'2'') tall Polish international Aleksander Balcerowski.
The Basketball Africa League champions from Luanda will try to match up with the international experience that Yanick Moreira and Patrick Gardner bring to the table.
For a local legend in Luanda such as Abou Gakou, this is a chance to prove his worth on an intercontinental level, after dominating the painted areas in Africa since joining the club in 2015.
Whoever wins the physical battles of the big guys inside the arc, would be that much closer to winning the first game of Group A action in Singapore.
X factors: The two point guards can change the course of the game easily. Kendrick Perry won the BCL Final Four MVP award last season, en route to Unicaja's first BCL crown in Europe, and his explosiveness is hard to match on both ends of the floor.
That is, unless you have an even more explosive player of your own. Childe Dundao is a defensive pest at 1.67m (5'6''), so fast he can catch any offensive player off guard and go for the steal.
He is 26 now and in the prime of his career. We know from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 how much he enjoys the global stage, so get ready for Dundao to be the X factor for Luanda in Singapore, too.
How to watch: The game tips off at 20:00 local time in Singapore, which is 14:00 in Malaga, Spain, and 13:00 in Luanda, Angola.
Basketball fans worldwide will have the chance to watch all games LIVE from Singapore, either on a TV channel, on the official FIBA YouTube channel, on Courtside 1891 or via a streaming service. You can find the list of broadcasters here.
Related news:
FIBA