Will the ‘Equipe Tricolore’ start with a defeat?

The Basketball World Cup 2023 will take place in three countries at once! Thus, the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia share the role of host. The search is on for Spain’s successor as reigning world champion.

Two title candidates from the extended circle after the top favorite from the USA are Canada and France.

The North Americans enter the tournament with a young team, which on the other hand features illustrious names from the NBA: Besides RJ Barrett from the Knicks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is especially worth mentioning.

The point guard is under contract with the City Thunder in Oklahoma and can be described as one of the best players at this position in the NBA. On the other hand, the French also have top players from the National Basketball Association such as center Rudy Gobert. The ingredients for a great World Cup game are prepared.

For the duel in the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta between Canada and France, the tip aims at a defeat of the Europeans.

Canada – statistics & current form

The Canadian selection had to bow out of the 2019 World Cup in China already after the preliminary round. After defeats against Australia and Lithuania and a win against Senegal, the World Cup was over for the Canadians comparatively quickly.

But there are no signs of a similar fate now: The complete starting five of the Canadian team is running in the NBA and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander they have a top star of the league in their ranks.

SGA was the fourth leading scorer in the last NBA regular season

The point guard also took another giant step in his development last season and was nominated as an All-Star for the first time in his career. Especially on the offensive end, the pro who was picked eleventh overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 draft at the time was unstoppable.

He averaged 31.4 points per game last season for OKC. Only three players topped that output in the regular season, and with a better team at his side, the 25-year-old would have long been an even bigger star in the NBA. But lacking teammates of his class in Oklahoma, last season was already over for him after the play-in tournament.

Canada recently won the DBB Supercup at the Alster

At the recent Basketball Supercup, a German invitational tournament held in Hamburg for the seventh time this year, SGA came up trumps again. 26 points against New Zealand and 25 points in the final against the DBB selection once again showed his outstanding class. Also thanks to his stable performance, Canada won the title at the tournament in the Hanseatic city, where four World Cup participants were represented.

However, as mentioned above, the Canadian squad is also peppered with strong players across the board. First and foremost is R.J. Barrett of the New York Knicks. The power forward was named best player at the 2017 U19 World Championship and has long been one of the Knicks’ mainstays in the Big Apple.

In addition, Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin in the person of Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a part of the Canadian national team. Like SGA, he acts as a guard on the court and is under contract in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Dillon Brooks from the Houston Rockets, the Canadians also have another powerful forward on board.

At least 84 points by the “Maple Leafs”?

In view of the enormous individual class of the squad, tips and odds on more than 83.5 points by the “Canucks” in the clash of Canada against France are additionally worth considering.

France – Statistics & current form

In the run-up to the 2023 World Cup, numerous stars have cancelled at short notice. The list includes such prominent names as Serbian Nikola Jokic of the champion Denver Nuggets or two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be sorely missed by the Greeks.

France also had to accept a harsh cancellation – so the new wunderkind of basketball Victor Wembanyama will also pass. The 19-year-old from Le Chasney was picked No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in this year’s draft.

The last time that hype around a new player in the NBA was so pronounced was more than 20 years ago, when LeBron James came to the league. At 2.24 meters, Wembanyama is extremely tall, even for a center or forward, and despite this height, he is technically very strong.

He has unquestionably earned the advance praise, and no French player before him has ever been selected No. 1 in an NBA draft. But for the time being he will continue to focus on his debut in the NBA with his new employer in Texas and will not play for coach Vincent Collet’s selection at the World Cup.

Gobert should fix it with his experience

The French are relying on another giant instead. They are talking about Rudy Gobert, who has been one of the best defensive players in the NBA for years. The “Stifle Tower” is only eight centimeters shorter than Wembanyama and has a lot of experience, as he is already 31 years old.

With France, he has already won third place twice at a World Cup and the silver medal with “Equipe Tricolor” at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. In the preparation for the upcoming global finals, the team of the French Basketball Federation FFBB also acted stable with six wins and one defeat in the test matches.

Tight result at the final siren?

However, these were mainly against easy teams like Venezuela or Japan. But now that a clearly tougher opponent is waiting and a tight box is looming, the prediction that no team will win by six or more points in the duel between Canada and France is also worth considering.

Canada – France Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

The last time the teams faced each other was at the 2016 Olympics, with France prevailing 83-74 in that year’s qualifying round for the main draw. Thanks to the success, the French have remained unbeaten in three comparisons in this pairing.

Canada – France tip

For the clash of Canada and France, the tip is on a success of the North Americans. The squad of the Canadian selection has little experience, but plenty of talent. The entire starting five plays in the NBA and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Canadians have an absolute top guard of the National Basketball Association.

Admittedly, France also has a powerful center in the NBA in Rudy Gobert, who has also been named the best defensive player in the division three times in the past, but in terms of the breadth of the squad, the French selection cannot quite match the capabilities of Canada in the eyes of the betting public.

This is partly due to the cancellation of this year’s first pick in the NBA draft Victor Wembanyama, whose emergence would have once again elevated the French team to a higher level. So now Canada, despite own cancellations like of the two NBA all-stars Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins, seems to be a bit stronger, which is why a close victory of the team of coach Nick Nurse is indicated.