We love a bit of international basketball action, and the FIBA World Cup starts this week in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
The tournament’s favourites are Team USA, as usual, but they’re not the defending champions, so the tournament is up for grabs.
We look at the best FIBA World Cup betting tips, including tournament winner, MVP, group winners, and top points scorer.
Best New Betting Sites
What are you prepared to lose today?
Set a deposit limit.
Best Betting Sites
What are you prepared to lose today?
Set a deposit limit.
FIBA Basketball World Cup Predictions
—
FIBA World Cup Best Bet – USA
We don’t want to pick USA, but they have the best team, and we expect them to make a deep run at the FIBA World Cup.
Despite lacking some of the NBA’s best players, including LeBron James and Kevin Durant, USA still has a terrific young team, including Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, and young star Paulo Banchero.
The lack of experience playing in a World Cup is our biggest worry. Many of these players haven’t played a title-bearing game, so it’s hard to know how they’ll play under the pressure.
However, getting $1.72 for the USA is a better price than usual. Punters would usually get around $1.40 for Team USA, so we’re taking the value odds.
Bet: USA @ $1.72
FIBA World Cup Best Value – Australia
There is a growing confidence with the Australian team, and they match up well against the Americans.
They have the likes of Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Dante Exum, and NBL star Xavier Cooks.
There is no reason why the Australians can’t have an impact at the World Cup, and we believe this unit is more of a team than USA. Therefore, getting $8 is an excellent price as the best value for the tournament.
Australia also has the likes of sharpshooter Chris Goulding, Joe Ingles, and Jack White, so the future is promising for the Boomers.
Bet: Australia @ $8
FIBA World Cup Best Roughie – Spain
It was a tough choice between Spain, Canada, and Serbia, but we’re going with the defending champions.
They showed their ability when losing a warm-up game to Canada in overtime. They had a five-point lead late in the contest, so that should be a good form guide.
Being the defending champions comes with a lot of respect. They might not have a team full of known superstars, but the Spanish league is always competitive, and they know each other like the back of their hands.
Team basketball has a different dynamic and Spain is one of the best in the World Cup.
Punters get $13 for Spain to win, which is tough to overlook.
Bet: Spain @ $13
FIBA World Cup MVP – Anthony Edwards
The American is the hot $3.75 for a reason, and he’s tough to bet against.
He is an excellent two-way player, and although players like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might score more points, he should pick up plenty of votes because of his defence.
The 22-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves star is still improving, which is a scary thought. If he’s anywhere near his best, he could have a massive impact at the World Cup.
Team USA relies on his ability to score and defend, so he should garner plenty of MVP votes if he plays at his best.
Bet: Anthony Edwards @ $3.75
FIBA World Cup Top Points Scorer – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Canadian is a gifted scorer and we expect him to put up big totals throughout the tournament.
Canada plays against France, Latvia, and Lebanon during pool player, which could make it difficult, especially against France. However, he should score a lot of points against Latvia and Lebanon, who will have a tough time covering his length.
He’s the current $4 favourite ahead of Doncic, who is our second pick. Doncic can drop 40 points whenever he feels like it, but he passes the ball to his teammates a little more than Gilgeous-Alexander. Therefore, take the Canadian to win the title.
Bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander @ $4
Australia to Win Group E
Punters get only $1.56 for Australia to beat the likes of Germany, Finland, and Japan in Group E, but it’s worth taking.
Germany is the biggest threat at $2.45, but we think Australia is the better team, and they should be more accustomed to playing in Asia.
We’re not going to get rich off this option, but it’s a good multi bet booster for the FIBA World Cup.
Bet: Australia @ $1.56
What are you prepared to lose today?
Set a deposit limit.