Spain vs Canada Basketball Preview: Prediction, odds, and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023

Modified Sep 02, 2023 17:02 GMT

FIBA World Cup 2023 preview: Spain vs Canada

Now that the group stage is over and the classification round of the FIBA World Cup 2023 tournament has wrapped up, all eyes are now focused on the second round of the competition.

The first set of games of the second round delivered some very exciting matchups which saw some heavily favored teams lose against the underdogs. Now, two of the favored teams that failed to secure the victory last time will go head to head against each other as Team Spain will be taking on Team Canada.

The Canadian basketball team has a strong lineup consisting of NBA players. When they played against Brazil, only a few people believed that they could lose. They even managed to maintain a ten-point lead (37-27) at halftime.

They tried to increase their advantage in the third but Brazil would not go down easily. Instead, Canada's lead got cut to only seven points by the time the third period wrapped up. The fourth quarter felt like a brand new ball game as the lead changed hands a few times.

With 1:36 left in the game, the score was tied at 60 between Brazil and Canada. However, Brazil managed to create a scoring opportunity and take a two-point lead. From this point on, Canada was not able to regain the lead, resulting in a loss with a score of 69-65. This was Canada's first loss in the FIBA World Cup 2023 tournament.

Spain on the other hand was entering their matchup against Latvia with a 3-0 record. Despite being favored to win, Latvia would give them a hard time as the first quarter wrapped up with the Latvians leading by one (17-16). In the second quarter, the game would remain close but this time, Spain would hold a three-point advantage (32-29) as the game entered the halftime break.

Things started to go Spain's way in the third quarter as they pulled away, even leading by as much as twelve at some point in the third quarter. As they entered the fourth quarter, the defending champions held an 11-point lead (58-47).

However, Latvia's resilience was on full display in the fourth quarter as they rallied for a massive comeback. Team Spain failed to stop Latvia as they eventually found themselves trailing at the 2:42 mark. They could never regain the lead again and would go on to lose the game by five (74-69).

Spain vs. Canada FIBA World Cup 2023 predictions and odds

Both teams are now looking to bounce back after their shocking losses during the first set of games of the second round but only one of them can win in their next game.

For their upcoming matchup, Team Canada is favored to win over Team Spain. The Canadian team is being predicted to win over the reigning champs as their stacked roster is expected to do the job.

Here are the odds and predictions for Team Canada and Team Spain's FIBA World Cup contest:

Moneyline: Canada -270, Spain +220

Over/Under: 169.5 (O: -110, U: -110)

Spread: Canada -6.5 (-110), Spain +6.5 (-110)