Defending champions United States continue their pursuit of a fifth straight FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup title when they face an emerging Hungary squad in Thursday's quarterfinal at 5:30AM ET in Berlin.
The Americans went 3-0 to win Group D and earn a direct trip to the quarterfinals, but their path wasn't entirely smooth.
They opened with a 94-61 rout of China before surviving a major scare against Italy, 55-52. The Americans responded Monday by routing Czechia 105-64 to extend their World Cup winning streak to 33 games.
Hungary has taken a different route to the final eight.
The Hungarians were crushed 99-53 by France in their opener but have since won three straight. They beat Nigeria 71-67 and Korea 82-73 before knocking off Japan 84-63 Tuesday in the qualification round.
Reka Lelik delivered her best performance of the tournament against Japan, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists while shooting 8-for-12 from the field.
The victory sent Hungary to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1986.
The USA is averaging 84.7 points and 48 rebounds per game, while Hungary is scoring 72.5 points with 44.3 rebounds.
Can Hungary's size and improving form keep this quarterfinal competitive against the tournament favorites?
Hungary vs. United States betting picks and predictions
Hungary +30.5 (-110)
The Americans are massive 30.5-point favorites and, therefore, currently, no moneyline is available.
There is no question which team should advance, but asking the United States to cover more than 30 points against a Hungarian team playing its best basketball of the tournament is another matter.
The Americans showed against Italy that they could be slowed down. The United States shot just 29% from the field in the 55-52 victory and made only one 3-pointer.
They looked much more like themselves against Czechia, shooting 53% while scoring 57 first-half points.
The biggest American advantage is depth.
USA is getting 46.7 points per game from its bench, twice Hungary's 23.3. Jackie Young leads an extremely balanced attack at 11.3 points per game, while Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers are both averaging 10.3.
Caitlin Clark leads the Americans with 6.3 assists per game. She had 14 points and 11 assists without a turnover in her World Cup debut against China.
Hungary's best chance to keep the margin manageable comes inside.
Dorka Juhasz leads the team with 15.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, while Virag Takacs-Kiss is averaging 14.0 points and 9.5 rebounds. Those two could make the United States work on the glass.
Lelik gives Hungary another scoring option and is averaging 12.3 points after exploding for 23 against Japan.
The major concern is ball security. Hungary is committing 21.5 turnovers per game, and careless possessions against the American guards could quickly create transition opportunities and turn this into a rout.
Still, Hungary has enough size and experience to avoid getting overwhelmed for four quarters, so, take the 30.5 points.
Under 154.5 points (-110)
The United States' three games have produced vastly different totals.
The opener against China reached 155 points, the defensive battle with Italy produced only 107 and Monday's rout of Czechia finished at 169.
Hungary has been more consistent since the loss to France. Its victories over Nigeria, Korea and Japan produced 138, 155 and 147 combined points and they can make this a half-court game.
Juhasz and Takacs-Kiss give the Hungarians legitimate size inside, and Hungary is averaging 44.3 rebounds per game compared with 48 for the United States.
Neither team has been especially dangerous from long range. Hungary is shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc, while the USA is shooting just 29%.
That matters if Hungary can avoid feeding the Americans easy baskets off turnovers.
The United States will almost certainly create separation because of its superior depth, athleticism and ability to rotate fresh WNBA stars throughout the game.
But the Americans don't necessarily need to approach 100 points to win comfortably, especially when they expect to play two more games and hoist a fifth straight World Cup title.
Hungary should be able to generate enough offense through Juhasz, Takács-Kiss and Lelik to avoid a complete collapse without forcing the pace.
Take the Under as the United States wins something like 88-65.
United States vs. Hungary odds
Hungary | N/A |
United States | N/A |
Spread | USA -30.5 |
Total | O/U 154.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
