FIBA Basketball World Cup predictions & free picks for September 7 games

The FIBA Basketball World Cup reaches day 8 on Saturday, September 7, 2019, with more second-round action.
The top 16 teams from the first round have been split into four groups of four for the second-round action, taking their first-round results with them. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
Also, the bottom 16 teams are split into four groups to battle it out for places 17-32.
So the real contenders will start to emerge on day 8, with the pick of the day’s matches the big clash between USA and Greece. Who doesn’t want to see the NBA’s MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and co take on the star-studded USA line-up? It should be a cracker.

Here are our free picks, odds and predictions for day 8 of the FIBA World Cup, which features eight matches.

Read more:
– Best basketball betting sites
– FIBA World Cup Guide

Second-round matches

Australia v Dominican Republic (Group L)

Tip-off: 16:00 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: Australia $1.02, Dominican Republic $19
Venue: Gymnasium of Youth Olympic Games Sport Park, Nanjing
Australia v Dominican Republic predictions: The Boomers are undefeated and a win here will go a long way to locking up a quarter-final place. If they can triumph and France overcomes Lithuania in the other Group L match, Australia and France will be safely through. The Boomers have a distinct height advantage against the Dominicans, who are one of the shortest teams in it. They have been purring along well and should win this comfortably, although the Dominicans bring great energy and lost only to France in the first round, beating Germany and Jordan. Our tip is Australia to win by more than the handicap of 22.5 points for a dividend around $1.90.

Brazil v Czech Republic (Group K)

Tip-off: 16:30 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: Brazil $1.38, Czech Republic $3.05
Venue: Shenzhen Bay Sports Center
Brazil v Czech Republic predictions: The Czechs were a handful in their group and took down Turkey with surprising ease to advance to the second round, despite a loss to the USA. Brazil have done what they do regularly at these big championships and remain unbeaten, with their biggest success the tough win over Greece by a point. They have not been crushing teams but just doing what they to so our prediction here is Brazil by 1-10 points at $2.55 with leading sports bookmakers.

France v Lithuania (Group L)

Tip-off: 20:00 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: France $1.65, Lithuania $2.25
Venue: Gymnasium of Youth Olympic Games Sport Park, Nanjing
France v Lithuania predictions: This looks a cracking contest and would be our match of the day but for the mouth-watering USA v Greece match-up. Lithuania have handicapped at +3.5 points and we think it’s enough to sway our betting tip here. Rudy Gobert has been a titan for France on the boards but will need to be at his best as the big Lithuanians, who are one of the leading inside teams in the business. We think this one will go down to the wire but are happy to be on Lithuania with the start, especially if some of their outside shooters can find their range.

USA v Greece (Group K)

Tip-off: 20:30 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: USA $1.25, Greece $4
Venue: Shenzhen Bay Sports Center
USA v Greece predictions: The Greeks, led by NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, will be desperate for the upset here as a loss will likely sound the death knell on their dreams of a title. Team USA know if they can put the stops on Antetokounmpo they should win fairly comfortably and Brazil showed it was possible in their one-point win over Greece. But we expect the Greek Freak to show just why he is rated arguably the best player in the world. US star Jayson Tatum will miss the clash as he is still struggling with an ankle problem. The USA obviously still had a talent-laden line-up and we think they will win, but only narrowl. We are tipping Greece with the 9.5-point start at $1.90.

Positions 17-32 classification matches

New Zealand v Japan (Group O)

Tip-off: 15:30 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: New Zealand $1.06, Japan $11
Venue: Dongguan Basketball Center
New Zealand v Japan predictions: The Tall Blacks have been by far the more competitive of these teams, with guard Corey Webster leading all scorers averaging 25 points a game. We think the Kiwis will cover the line of 17.5 points here. The Japanese have lost all three games so far by an average of almost 22 points.

Canada v Jordan (Group P)

Tip-off: 16:00 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: Canada $1, Jordan $26
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Sports Center
Canada v Jordan predictions: We are reluctant to play the really big handicap lines and the 25.5-point mark is a little too high for us to consider. The Canadians have been a touch disappointing in this campaign. We expect them to win here but might leave this game alone from a betting perspective.

Turkey v Montenegro (Group O)

Tip-off: 19:30 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: Turkey $1.23, Montenegro $4.20
Venue: Dongguan Basketball Center
Turkey v Montenegro predictions: Turkey really suffered a letdown against the Czechs after their epic clash with the USA when they lost by a single points. They seem easily good enough to have earned a place in the second round but that is the reality of these international competitions. Montenegro have been competitive in two of their three losses but we think the Turks are a cut above here and can cover the -8.5-point handicap line at odds of $1.90. Our best bet for the day.

Germany v Senegal (Group P)

Tip-off: 20:00 local time (GMT+8)
Head to head odds: Germany $1.01, Senegal $23
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Sports Center
Germany v Senegal predictions: Germany were expected to advance to the second round at least but things have not quite gone right for them in China. The handicap line has been set at -22.5 and we think that’s a little high so will tip Senegal +22.5 points at the $1.90 line.

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