We split yesterday going 1-1. Here's how things unfolded:
Lithuania/Nigeria (under 154.5) XXXX
Nigeria surprised me here, as I had no idea they were capable of dropping 80 points against a talented team like Lithuania. But they proved me wrong, showcasing a strong and balanced offense led by Michael Umeh (17 pts) and big man Ike Diogu (19). Alade Aminu, younger brother of the Trail Blazer's Al Farouq-Aminu, also played well adding 12 points.
Lithuania had two players eclipse the 20 point mark, with Mantas Kalnietes and Jonas Maciulis combining for 42. Both teams shot over 40% from deep, combining for 18 threes. Wrong night for this bet. Major takeaway here is that Nigeria has players who can score.
Argentina (-135) $$$$
Both Croatia and Argentina played really well in this game, and it was a fun one to watch. Argentina has a spontaneous, street-ball style of play with crafty big man Luis Scola and Facundo Campazzo, a point guard who's never seen a shot he didn't like. Croatia, on the other hand, is filled with players you can tell have been practicing the fundamentals of basketball in an air conditioned gym since birth. Their game is methodical and slow, but they make very few mistakes and generally come up with high percentage shots.
The shooting of Mario Hezonja kept the Croatians in it late, but ultimately Argentina just had the better team and won the game 90-82. Take away is that both teams are good and capable of competing with (almost) anyone in the tournament.