FIBA World Cup

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

The FIBA World Cup only just started and the bronze medalists from the last World Cup France already staring at elimination if they fail to beat the strong Latvian team when the two sides meet. Both teams have reasons to feel confident and yet only one of them will celebrate after the final buzzer.

France vs Latvia basketball predictions

After their humiliating defeat in the first game, France are under pressure as they take on a Latvian team that recorded a big win in their first game, but it was against a modest opponent. Can France’s size and advantage in the paint prevail over Latvia’s perimeter stars? Here are our France vs Latvia basketball predictions.

Prediction 1: Rudy Gobert over 9.5 points @ 1/2 (1.50)

Rudy Gobert had a disappointing night in the first game when he scored just 8 points on 4 of 9 shooting. Rudy is much better than that and he’s averaging 14.2 points per game for France over the last 3 years so he’s certainly capable of scoring more than 10 points.

Gobert’s chances are also backed by the fact that in over 680 NBA games he has played he’s averaged 12.5 points per game. Last season in his first year as a Timberwolve Gobert averaged 13.5 points during the regular season but in the playoffs, this number increased to 15.0.

Prediction 2: Davis Bertans under 3.5 rebounds @ 5/6 (1.83)

Our second France vs Latvia prediction looks at the end of the court and Latvia’s unconventional power forward Davis Bertans. Bertans is a specialist 3-point shooter. He shot 6 out of 7 from beyond the arc in the first game and attempted only 1 shot from inside the paint all match. This explains why Bertans had zero rebounds against a weak Lebanon team.

Now, with Gobert, Batum and Yebosele guarding the France’s painted area we can’t see Bertans grabbing more than 3 boards. Last season in the NBA he averaged only 1.2 rebounds per game, for his NBA career he is at 2.5 rebounds. All that, plus the fact that Bertans is bound to sit behind the 3-point line and wait for passes all match makes us believe he won’t be impacting the paint much.

France vs Latvia preview – Will Rudy wake up and dominate?

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(Photo by Herve Bellenger/Icon Sport)

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

France news, injuries, and starting lineups

France warmed up for this tournament with consecutive wins over Spain, Germany and New Zealand. However, in their last test before the tournament, they lost 74-78 vs Australia.

The French reached the semifinals in the last 2 World Cups. They claimed the bronze back in 2019. They also played in the Euro 2022 final where a defeat vs Spain was suffered.

All that accounted for nothing in the first game of the tournament though when France lost 65-95 against Canada. It was a 3rd quarter blowout (25-8) that decided this match with France even leading early on and trailing by only 1 point at halftime.

The French will be angry and they are expected to respond decisively. Gobert will have to be much more active in attack as he has height advantage and skill one too over most of the Latvians that will be guarding him.

France injury report:

  • No injuries to report ahead of the game and everyone in the 12-man roster seems to be in good health.

France’s starting lineup:

R. Gobert, N. Batum, G. Yabusele, E. Fournier & Nando de Colo

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(Photo by Herve Bellenger/Icon Sport)

Latvia news, injuries, and starting lineups

Latvia opened their World Cup with an easy 109-70 win vs Lebanon. The Latvians shot 51.4% from beyond the arc as a team (18 out of 35) in this match and this was what made the difference early.

Losing their star player Kristas Porzingis due to injury only days before the start of the tournament 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?

Also, Latvia will try to achieve something they have never managed to do before – beat France in a game of basketball.

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

France vs Latvia head-to-head matchups

France hold a decisive 4-0 lead in the head-to-head tie. However, the most recent meeting was way back in 2015 so the stats are not much telling. Still, France won all of the last 3 clashes between the sides with double digits and they have never had much trouble beating Latvia when these two European teams face each other.

France 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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