Greece vs. New Zealand Basketball Preview: Prediction, Roster, and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023

Thanasis Antetokoumpo of Greece has struggled to meet expectations in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
Thanasis Antetokoumpo of Greece has struggled to meet expectations in the 2023 FIBA World Cup

The Greece vs. New Zealand game at the 2023 FIBA World Cup will commence this coming August 30, Wednesday. These teams are expected to clash inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines at exactly 8:40 p.m. Hong Kong time.

The Greek national team was able to split their first two games in Group C. Their first game was a blowout victory against Jordan with the final score settling at 92-71. The tables have been turned the following matchup as they were defeated by Team USA by 28 points.

On the other hand. New Zealand's first opponent at the tournament was Team USA and lost by as much as 27 points. They were able to secure their first win in Group C against Jordan with the final score at 95-87.

Both teams are now at 1-1 in their respective group and the winner will advance to the next round. According to sportsbooks, Greece is projected to be victorious over New Zealand.

Greece vs. New Zealand: Players to Watch

The New Zealand basketball team's top scorer for the past two games was Izayah Le'afa who averaged 16.0 points along with 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals.

Shea Ili is the team's floor leader and expect him to control the pace with his 7.5 assists per game. Finn Delany is also a player to look out for after averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the tournament.

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For Greece, there are a total of five players averaging double figures. Leading them is Giannoulis Larentzakis with 13.0 points and not far behind is Georgios Papagiannis with 12.5 points.

The brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis, has been struggling to shoot the ball. So far he has averaged 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.5 steals.

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New Zealand Roster:

  • Reuben Te Rangi
  • Izayah Le'afa
  • Finn Delany
  • Taylor Britt
  • Shea Ili
  • Yannick Wetzell
  • Flynn Cameron
  • Tobi Smith-Milner
  • Hyrum Harris
  • Walter James Brown

Greece Roster:

  • Thomas Walkup
  • Nikos Rogkavolpoulos
  • Mihail Lountzis
  • Giannoulis Larentzakis
  • Dimitris Moaitis
  • Lefteris Bochordis
  • Georgios Papagiannis
  • Ioannis Papapetrou
  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo
  • Konstantinos Mitoglou
  • Emmanouil Chatzikdakis

Greece vs. New Zealand: Prediction

This matchup between Greece vs New Zealand at the 2023 FIBA World Cup may be closer than it seems. The safer pick to make is Greece to move to the next round as compared to New Zealand.

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