FIBA World Cup

Brazil vs Latvia prediction, time, and live stream – FIBA World Cup 2023

September 2, 2023 5:38 pm

The  FIBA World Cup is at a stage where dreams start to be made and others to be crushed. This is exactly what we will be treated to when Brazil and Latvia face each other. Both teams resurrected their quarterfinal dreams with shocking wins on Friday. Both know that only the winner goes into the last 8. So who will prevail?

Brazil vs Latvia basketball predictions

Will Brazil’s excellent defence be enough? Will the spirited Latvians find a way to cause another upset? Here are our Brazil vs Latvia basketball predictions.

Prediction 1: Davis Bertans over 2.5 3PT FG@ 17/20 (1.85)

BRA vs LAT scaled
(Photo by Herve Bellenger/Icon Sport)

With our first prediction, we back Latvia’s spot-shooter Davis Bertans to hit at least 3 shots from beyond the arc in the coming match. Bertans had 3 or more 3-point field goals in 3 of the 4 matches so far. He’s shooting 35.5% from distance this tournament but he has taken 31 shots from beyond the arc already.

With this the key for Latvia’s win vs Spain we think Bertans will be taking even more shots from distance now and he is a good enough shooter to knock down at least 3 of those.

Prediction 2: Latvia under 84.5 points @ 1/2 (1.50)

Our second Brazil vs Latvia prediction backs Brazil’s impressive defence to keep Latvia to below 85 total points. Latvia are not the most prolific team in terms of scoring anyway. They scored 75 or less in their last 2 matches. At the same time, Spain were the only team in 4 games that scored more than 77 points against Brazil. We think it’s pretty safe to assume that the Latvians won’t be able to go over 84 points now with so much at stake for both teams.

Brazil vs Latvia preview – who will hold their nerves?

Now let’s look at the latest Brazil vs Latvia team news.

Brazil news, injuries, and starting lineups

Led by the former NBA players Raul Neto and Bruno Caboclo Brazil scored 100 points in their first game to beat Iran 100-59.

The Brazilians then missed the injured Neto against defending champions Spain. This resulted in them losing 78-96. An easy win vs Ivory Coast followed though, so Brazil progressed and despite not playing great basketball they can be a tough team to play against.

Yago Dos Santos has been the bright spark of the team so far. With Neto missing 2 of the matches Dos Santos took on more responsibility and he is averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 assists so far this tournament.

The true strength of Brazil is their excellent defending and this is what saw them cause a major upset at the start of the second phase. Brazil beat Canada 69-65 after recording 6 steals and 4 blocks to discourage the free-flowing up until that match Maple Leafs. The win means that now basically an elimination match comes next. The winner of Brazil vs Latvia will play in the quarterfinals.

Brazil injury report:

  • N/A

Brazil starting lineup:

T. Soares, L. Meindl, B. Caboclo, Y. Dos Santos, R. Neto

Latvia news, injuries, and starting lineups

Right before their debut at a World Cup Latvia lost their star player Kristas Porzingis due to an injury. Without their NBA superstar this seriously dented Latvia’s chances to progress. Still, even without him, Latvia have gifted scorers in their roster but the big question is can they defend?

The answer in their second match was a sounding yes with the Latvians causing a big upset with their 88-86 win vs France that saw the bronze medalists from the last World Cup sent packing home early.

Spa vs La scaled
(Photo by Herve Bellenger/Icon Sport)

Latvia got grounded in the final game of the group stage though. They lost 75-101 vs Canada in what was a very one-sided match and a very disappointing display from the Latvians at both ends of the floor.

The Latvians also struggled to defend their paint well in this tournament and from the 16 teams that qualified for the second stage they have the third-worst record in terms of points in the paint allowed.

This didn’t stop the Latvians from causing another major upset on Friday though. They beat defending world champions Spain 74-69 and this keeps their hopes of making the last 8 alive.

Latvia injury report:

  • Kristas Porzingis (PF) – set to miss the entire tournament

Latvia starting lineup:

R. Kurucs, D. Bertans, A. Zagars. R. Smits & A. Grazulis

Brazil vs Latvia where to watch on TV/live stream

The only way to watch any match at the FIBA World Cup in the UK is via the streaming service FIBA Courtside 1891. Meanwhile, the USA and Australia will both broadcast the tournament on their respective ESPN channels.

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