Just four nations remain in the hunt at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup! Semi-final action will take place on Friday night (AEST) with USA taking on Germany, and Serbia playing Canada. As always, we have you covered with a game preview and best bet for each clash below. Good luck to everyone following!
FIBA Basketball World Cup Semi-Finals Betting Tips
Serbia vs Canada
Friday 6:45pm AEST, September 8th, Mail of Asia Arena (Philippines)
Despite being slight underdogs in their quarter-final matchup with Lithuania, Serbia absolutely put them to the sword to record a 19-point win. They’ve now won 5/6 games at this World Cup and all five wins have been by at least 17 points. Their only loss to date was by two points against Italy when they shot 7-31 (23%) from deep compared to their opponents 11-21 (52%).
After almost bowing out to Spain in their final group game, Canada made sure they were the ones in control against Slovenia in their quarter-final clash. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he’s the highest rated player in the tournament with a 30-point 10-rebound double-double. The Canadians have now achieved their best ever result at a World Cup but will clearly have their sights set on bigger things.
The bookies have priced Canada as the clear favourites against Serbia and that’s something I find hard to stomach. They may be slightly outclassed in terms of top-end quality and athleticism, but the Serbs are easily the more well-drilled team and their best has been as good as anyone’s over the past fortnight. At near $3, Serbia are great value to win, although I’ll be playing it a bit safer and backing them to cover the spread.
Serbia +6.5
$1.80 (2 Units)
USA vs Germany
Friday 10:40pm AEST, September 8th, Mail of Asia Arena (Philippines)
USA suffered a shock loss to Lithuania in their final group stage game but showed their character with a resounding win over Italy in the quarter-finals. They were locked in on the defensive end from the first whistle and never let the Italians find any rhythm on offence. On top of that, leading scorer Anthony Edwards scored just three of his team’s 100 points, which goes to show the number of scoring options the USA possess.
Latvian sharpshooter Davis Bertans had a three-point shot at the death in the quarter-finals which would’ve sent Germany packing had it dropped, however it rimmed out and the Germans moved onto the semi-finals. German point guard Dennis Schroder kept Latvia in the game due to his horrific shooting throughout the entire contest. He finished the night with nine points despite taking 26 shots.
USA are obviously the most talented team in the World Cup but have shown they’re not unbeatable. They’ve struggled at times against nations that they can’t overwhelm with sheer athleticism, and Germany fit the bill. The Germans have a number of top level athletes in the likes of Schroder, Mo and Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis and more. I believe they’ll be in this contest all the way and can give the Americans a genuine scare.
Germany +10.5
$1.92 (1 Unit)
