Group stage action at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup has concluded and now it’s time for the knockouts! Eight nations remain in the hunt for the Gold Medal, with the four quarter-final matchups set to play out on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We provide a quick preview and best bet for each quarter-final clash below!
Also, the Boomers’ World Cup campaign may have finished, but we’ll still be providing previews and best bets for all of the key matchups in the tournament going forward, so make sure to head over to our Basketball Tips page regularly to stay up to date!
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023: Quarter-Finals Betting Tips
Lithuania vs Serbia
Tuesday 6:45pm AEST, September 5th, Mail of Asia Arena (Philippines)
Lithuania sent a message to the remaining teams in the tournament with a win over Gold Medal favourites USA on Sunday night. The win improved their record to 5-0 and saw their Medal odds slashed. Meanwhile, Serbia are tracking nicely with a 4-1 record and put in a dominant performance against Dominican Republic last outing, destroying Karl-Anthony Towns and co. by 33 points. Lithuania’s win over USA certainly was impressive, but it was also a bit of a freak performance considering they started the game a perfect 9/9 from three-point range, which is something that won’t ever happen again. It’s also tough to back up from such a performance, and I think they’ll find it harder to score against a Serbian outfit that are just as well-drilled as them. At the end of the day, Serbia have the more talented team and I’m happy to be on them to win at the slight underdog odds.
Serbia to Win
$2.05 (1.5 Units)
Italy vs USA
Tuesday 10:40pm AEST, September 5th, Mail of Asia Arena (Philippines)
Italy secured a crucial win over Serbia in their first game in the second group stage, which ultimately saw them finish on top. Their reward? They now face USA in the quarter-finals who suffered a massive upset in their last game to finish second in their group. Speaking of that upset, it’s one that will be a big wake-up call for the star-studded Americans and one they would’ve learned a lot from. They gave up 31 points in the first quarter and found themselves in a hole that was too big to dig themselves out of. There’s no doubt they would’ve gone over their defensive schemes meticulously in the 48 hours since and will be locked in on that end from the opening whistle on Tuesday night. With that in mind, taking Italy to fall short of their total points line (currently 80.5) looks to be the play here.
Italy Under 80.5 Points (Team Total)
$1.85 (2 Units)
Germany vs Latvia
Wednesday 6:45pm AEST, September 6th, Mail of Asia Arena (Philippines)
Germany are one of two nations still undefeated in the tournament heading into the knockout stage. They’ve defeated two top 10 ranked teams in Australia and Slovenia to date and have scored 100+ points in each of their last three outings. Meanwhile, Latvia have exceeded expectations at this World Cup with a 4-1 record that includes wins over European powerhouses, France and Spain. The level of opposition goes up again for Latvia, although Germany are a nation they have fared well against in their history. The last four meetings between these nations have been decided by six points or less and with so much at stake in their upcoming contest, I expect another close battle to play out which should see Latvia cover the big spread.
Latvia +9.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Canada vs Slovenia
Wednesday 10:30pm AEST, September 6th, Mail of Asia Arena (Philippines)
Canada survived a humungous scare against Spain on Sunday night. In a win-or-go-home situation, the highly-fancied Canadians trailed by 12 points heading into the final term but were able to outscore the defending World Cup champions 27-12 to win by three points and keep their Gold Medal dreams alive. Elsewhere, Luka Doncic and Slovenia secured a place in the knockout phase two games back when they defeated Australia, which was probably the reason for their dismal performance last start against Germany whom they lost to by 29 points. You can expect a much better display from Slovenia on Wednesday night, and a win is certainly not beyond them.
Slovenia +8.5
$1.91 (1 Unit)
