Team USA could advance to the quarterfinals as top seed and clinch a spot in the next summer Olympics in Tokyo if it beats Brazil in the final game of the second group stage on Monday.
The defending champions have won their first four games and lead Group K with eight points, one clear of Czech Republic and Brazil.
Whether they finish top of the group or not, the U.S. will play either France or Australia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the two teams having already qualified from Group L.
The two teams meet on Monday to determine the group winner, which will have implications for Team USA. Should the Americans win their group, they will face the loser of France vs Australia in in Dongguan, a short bus ride from Shenzhen.
Should they lose and still advance, they would have to fly to Shanghai to play the winner of France vs Australia.
More importantly, a win against Brazil would see Team USA secure a ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where it aims to defend the gold medal won three years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The U.S. could still qualify if with a defeat against Brazil, but its destiny would be out of its hands and a 22-point loss would eliminate them.
Brazil qualified for the second group stage with a 100 percent record but lost to Czech Republic in the first game of the second phase and must beat the U.S. to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Despite the 4-0 record in the tournament, there are concerns for Team USA, whose offense has stuttered so far. The U.S. is averaging 87 points per game, eighth-best among the 32 teams at the World Cup and miles away from the free-flowing offense displayed at the last three major tournaments.
Between the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and the 2014 World Cup, the U.S. averaged 107.3 points per game.
On Saturday, the U.S. scored just 69 points in the win over Greece, with only Donovan Mitchell and Kemba Walker reaching double figures.
“The defense is ahead of the offense for sure, but that’s expected with 12 guys who have never played together before,” coach Gregg Popovich told reporters in a press conference.
“Each day that we have we hope that our execution can get better and better and we learn as coaches what’s best for these guys.”
Here’s all you need to know ahead of Monday.
The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET).
TV channel
The FIBA World Cup will not be broadcast on TV in the U.S., but there are plenty of other ways to keep up with the action.
Live stream
Live stream for every game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup is available via ESPN+.
Team news
Jayson Tatum will miss the game against Brazil as he continues to recover from the ankle sprain he suffered last week against Turkey.
The Boston Celtics has already missed games against Japan and Greece and while he has returned to practice, the matchup against Brazil has come too soon for him.
Kemba Walker, meanwhile, should be available for Monday even though he missed Monday’s shootaround with illness.
Brazil, meanwhile, has no injuries to report and is at full strength.
The over/under in terms of points scored is set at 155.