2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (9/9)
Basketball fans get another treat as the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off! We’ll have you covered over the two weeks of international basketball action. Group stage games will be held across Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan daily as the tournament progresses to the point of crowning a world champion. Check in daily for our best bets for upcoming contests. Here are the top odds, picks and predictions for today’s 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup action.
2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Odds & Picks
Slovenia vs. Italy
Slovenia lost to Lithuania in the 5th-8th place classification game. Now they'll play for 7th place in the FIBA World Cup against Italy. Slovenia only shot 38.3% from the field and forced just ten turnovers against Lithuania in a 100-84 loss. In the tournament, Luka Doncic has put on a clinic. He's averaged the most points in the FIBA World Cup, with 26.7 points per game. But he's not getting much help from the rest of the team. On the other hand, Italy lost 87-82 in their most recent game against Latvia. The Italians shot 46.2% from the field but only 34.4% from three. Italy doesn't have much depth either, and Simone Fontecchio, who averaged 18.3 points in the tournament, didn't even play in that game. I'll back Luka Doncic and Slovenia to take over this game.
Pick: Slovenia -3 (-115)
Lithuania vs. Latvia
Lithuania has had just one hiccup throughout the entire FIBA World Cup. It came at a bad time, in the quarterfinals. But they rebounded nicely with a win over Slovenia in the next game. Lithuania shot 59.4% from the field and 56% from three against Slovenia. That's what they've been doing all tournament. Jonas Valanciunas added 24 points and 12 rebounds, while the team had three others with at least 14 points scored. They'll take on Latvia, who just defeated a shorthanded Italy team. Latvia hit 59.3% of shots against Italy but only forced 12 turnovers. They also lost the rebounding battle by eight. Give me Lithuania in this game.
Pick: Lithuania -7 (-108)
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