Latvia vs Lithuania Basketball Preview: Prediction, rosters and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023 tune-up

Modified Aug 22, 2023 07:26 GMT

Arturs Martins Zagars of Latvia and Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania

It's a Baltic showdown on Tuesday in Taipei as Latvia and Lithuania face off in their final tune-up game before flying to Indonesia and the Philippines, respectively, ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Latvia has been very impressive in their preparations for the World Cup even though they don't have Kristaps Porzingis. They are coming off an 84-72 win over Puerto Rico to remain undefeated in their tune-up schedule. They also recorded wins against Sweden, Georgia, Finland and the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, Lithuania is playing its 11th tune-up game already. They are one of the busiest nations before the tournament, compiling an 8-2 record. They also defeated Puerto Rico 93-80 in their previous contest.

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2023 FIBA World Cup tune-up game preview

Latvia is ranked No. 29 in the world heading into the World Cup. They are also making their tournament debut in Indonesia. They are in Group H with Canada, Lebanon and France.

Without Kristaps Porzingis, Latvia will have to rely on players with NBA experience such as Davis Bertans and Rodions Kurucs. They have played well in their tune-up games and could get a shock win in the World Cup.

On the other hand, Lithuania currently sits at No. 8 in the world rankings, led by Jonas Valanciunas. The team has been busy preparing for the 2023 FIBA World Cup and is looking to bounce back after a disappointing EuroBasket campaign last year.

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Latvia vs Lithuania prediction

Lithuania will likely be the favorite to win this tune-up game against Latvia. They are the No. 8 ranked team in the world for a reason and they have already won eight tune-up games as part of their preparations for the World Cup till now.

Latvia will likely put up a good fight considering they are undefeated in their last five previous exhibition games as well. Nevertheless, expect Lithuania to pull out a close win over Latvia on Tuesday's game in Taipei.