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Both the USA and Canada entered their semifinals against European opponents as the favourites to reach the World Cup final. Both lost and now will face each other in an all-North American clash that will leave one team empty-handed as only the winner gets medals. Here is our preview and free betting tips for the bronze-medal match between the USA and Canada.
- Date & Time: Sunday, September 10, 2023, 09:30 a.m. GMT
- Venue: Mall of Asia Arena – Manila, Philippines
USA vs Canada basketball predictions
Contents
The two best attacks in the competition are bound to produce a high-scoring match as they both try to win the bronze. So, let’s take a closer look at our USA vs Canada basketball predictions:
Prediction 1: Anthony Edwards over 20.5 points @ 17/20 (1.85)
Our first pick for this match backs Team USA’s top scorer this tournament Anthony Edwards to get at least 21 points in the coming clash vs Canada. Edwards is averaging only 18.1 points per game for the tournament but this is largely due to his one-off night in the quarterfinal vs Italy when he scored just 3 points. He scored 23 in the semifinal defeat vs Germany on 10 of 17 shooting and also scored 35 against Lithuania right before the Italy game.
When Edwards gets hot he can really pile up a lot of points in a short space of time and now with the annoying Dillon Brooks expected to guard him we expect exactly that.
Prediction 2: RJ Barrett over 4.5 rebounds @ 3/5 (1.60)
Canada’s small forward RB Barett has been playing well all World Cup and in this bronze-medal match, we back him to grab at least 5 rebounds. Barrett is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game for the entire World Cup. However, as things got serious in the last 3 matches he began to play more minutes and this resulted in him averaging 5.5 rebounds for those 3 games.
With bronze medals at stake Barrett should see plenty of use now and he should be able to get to 5 rebounds.
USA vs Canada preview – can the Maple Leafs win their first-ever medal?
Now let’s take a closer look at the latest USA vs Canada team news ahead of their meeting in the third-place match at FIBA World Cup:
USA news, injuries, and starting lineups
Team USA played well in their semifinal against Germany and yet they suffered their second defeat of the tournament when losing 111-113. Not just that but this became officially the game with the most points allowed for any USA team in the history of the World Cups.
The urgency was there but the Americans showed very poor guarding of the perimeter defensively and once again got punished for that. In their two defeats so far they conceded 110 and 113 points. The main weakness is on the defensive end. The fact that the starting centre Jarren Jackson Jr, who also happens to be NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for last season, has got into foul trouble early in 3 of the last 4 matches has hardly helped.
USA injury report:
- N/A
USA starting lineup:
J. Brunson, A. Edwards, B. Ingram, M. Bridges, J. Jackson Jr.
Canada news, injuries, and starting lineups
Canada are set to record their best-ever World Cup finish no matter what happens in this match. Their previous best was 6th place. Still, the Maple Leafs would love to beat their fancied neighbours and also Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is chasing the overall scoring trophy so he will be playing with extra desire.
Canada were simply too small when taking on Serbia in the semifinal. Punished way too often inside the paint the Canadians trailed from early on and despite not giving up they never got close enough and lost 86-95.
At least now the Canadians won’t be facing a bigger team and this should give plenty of chances for Olynyk to space the floor and help on switches.
Canada injury report:
- N/A
Canada starting lineup:
D. Powell, K. Olynyk, Z. Edey, D. Brooks, S. Gilgeous-Alexander
USA vs Canada head to head
There have been 22 previous meetings between these North American neighbours. Team USA have won 21 of those 22 matches. Canada’s only win was in the 2005 FIBA AmeriCup. The USA have won all 7 previous World Cup matches between the sides.
Where to watch USA vs Canada on TV/live stream
UK residents can watch all FIBA World Cup matches on FIBA’s streaming service Courtside 1891. On the other hand, you can watch this tournament on ESPN2 and ESPN+ in the United States.
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