The 2023 FIBA World Cup opening day is here with eight games. Here are the best bets for August 25.
2023 FIBA World Cup: 2 Best Bets, 4-Legged Parlay and Player Props (Aug. 25)
Finland vs. Australia
Australia and Finland tip-off Group E play in Okinawa (Japan) on Friday morning.
Australia ranked No. 3 in the World, has a very talented and experienced squad looking to take the next step and reach the title game in a major international tournament for the first time. The Australians finished fourth in the 2019 World Cup and followed that with a third-place finish in the 2020 Olympics. Oklahoma City Thunder wing Josh Giddey leads the way, though they also still have Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Josh Green, Matisse Thybulle, and Dante Exum on the roster. Australia went 4-1 in tuneup games, outscoring their opponents 87- 70.4 a game. They beat France by four and lost to Brazil by four.
Finland went 2-2 in their tuneup games, with its first three games being close before getting whitewashed by Lativia in the final game. They split with Lithuania and lost to Estonia. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lauri Markannen, who hit the 20-point mark in the first three tuneup games, and Sasu Salin lead the way for Finland. Golden State Warriors summer leaguer Mikael Jantunen is also on the roster, as are college players Miro Little, Olivier Nkamhou, and Jacob Grandison.
While Australia should have a relatively easy time with Finland, expect Markannen to do enough for Finland to cover the 10.5 spread.
Best Bet: Finland +10.5
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Mexico vs. Montenegro
I expect this extremely important Group D clash in Manila to be highly entertaining and competitive. Mexico does not have any world-class players. But Mexico is loaded with speedy guards who look to attack, and if the defense collapses, kick the ball out to shooters. Defensively, they are tough and play with energy. Mexico went 9-1 during their World Cup tuneup contests.
Montenegro is the tallest team at the FIBA World Cup, and they will look to pound the ball inside to Nikola Vucevic, Bojan Doblevic, and Marko Simonovic, often against Mexico. If Mexico tries to shrink the floor by packing the defense in, Montenegro’s starting guard duo of Vladimir Mihailovic and Kendric Perry are good enough to make them pay.
While Montenegro is the more talented team, I like Mexico to (+9.5) cover the spread.
Best Bet: Mexico (+9.5)
4-Legged Parlay
Here is a 4-legged Parlay that you could make 3-legged if you don’t like one of the bets.
Italy (+21.5) Over Angola. Italy has a veteran and talented team that went 7-0 during tuneup games with several challenging games. Meanwhile, Angola lost four of their last five exhibition games. Two of Angola’s setbacks were by double figures, and neither was to a squad close to Italy’s quality. Italy is 3-0 all-time against Angola, with each victory coming by 30 or more points.
The Dominican Republic (-700) Over the Philippines. The Dominican Republic has high hopes as they enter the tournament with arguably their most talented squad led by Karl-Anthony Towns. However, the Dominicans didn’t look like a well-oiled machine in their tuneup games, and the Philippines are playing on home soil. As a result, while I believe the Dominican Republic will have an easy time with the Philippines, double-digits are just a little too high for my liking in the competition opener for both teams.
Lativa vs. Lebanon (under 162.5 points). Latvia suffered a huge blow, with Kristaps Porzingis having to back out of the competition due to a foot injury. Still, Latvia went 6-1 in their World Cup tuneup games as they were tough defensively. Four of their six games finished under 162 points. Meanwhile, Lebanon struggled to score while going 2-2 in their tuneup contests. Lebanon averaged 70 points a game, and none of their contest combined for over 162 points.
France (-2) Over Canada. This game should be fantastic. Both teams are talented, but France is more experienced in international competition. So, I like the French to edge the Canadians.
3-Legged Parlay (not including either Latvia vs. Lebanon or France vs. Canada): +320
4- Legged Parlay: +702
Player Props
Josh Giddey Over 14.5 Points (-145)
Bruno Fernando Over 13.5 Points (-145)
Nikola Vucevic Over 16.5 Points (-120)
Paul Stoll Over 11.5 Points (-120)
Dennis Schroder Over 18.5 Points (-115)
Jonas Valanciunas Over 16.5 Points (-145)
