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Day 1 of the FIBA World Cup 2023 (Aug. 25) concluded with basketball fans witnessing electrifying action in all eight games. Angola took on Italy, while Finland played Australia to tip off the tournament.
Mexico vs Montenegro, Latvia vs Lebanon, Dominican Republic vs Philippines, Germany vs Japan, Egypt vs Lithuania and Canada vs France were the other games scheduled on the day.
Majority of the games were pretty close initially. However, the powerhouses came away with the wins quite comfortably in the end. There were no major upsets, but the minnows ensured they emptied the tank and gave their fans some brief moments of joy.
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FIBA World Cup 2023 Day 1 results: List of winners
Teams from groups A, D, E and H were in action on Day of the FIBA World Cup 2023 Day 1 (August 25th). Here's a look at the winning teams from the action-packed opening day game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
#1 Italy survives Angola
Italy survived a scare from minnows Angola in the opening game of their 2023 NBA FIBA World Cup tournament, registering an 86-67 win. The Europeans were only able to get some separation down the stretch.
Much to everyone's surprise, Angola did pretty well in giving their opponents a headache until the first three quarters. The African nation trailed by four points entering the final frame. Just as it seemed they could pull off an upset, the Italians went into another gear down the stretch.
Simone Fonteccio put the team on his back, tallying 19 points and shooting 57.1%. He also had five rebounds, a couple of assists, a steal, and a block apiece. Stefano Tonut played a solid cameo, bagging 18 points for Italy.
Meanwhile, Childe Dundao was Angola's best player. He recorded 19 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
#2 Australia triumph over Lauri Markkanen and Co.
Australia got their 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign to a dominant win over Finland. The game appeared to be a close contest in the first quarter, with the Boomers leading only by four. However, they turned it up a notch after that, outscoring their opponents 81-51 in the last three quarters, scripting a 98-72 win.
The Aussies made the most of their NBA talent, as Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, and Joe Ingles led their charge. Mills continued his fine form in a Boomers jersey on the international stage with a game-high 25-point performance. He also had eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, OKC Thunder star Josh Giddey nearly bagged a triple-double, tallying 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Ingles produced 13 points and four rebounds off the bench.
NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen was the best player for Finland. He had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
#3 Montenegro fends off Mexico
Montenegro faced a stiff challenge like Italy from an underdog in their 2023 FIBA World Cup opening contest. The Mexicans made a little run in the third quarter, trimming Montenegro's 13-point advantage to eight points midway through that period.
However, NBA veteran Nikola Vucevic ensured his team didn't slip up down the stretch. He bagged 27 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to help his team to a 91-71 win. Kendrick Perry and Nikola Ivanovic played excellent cameos, scoring 16 and 14 points respectively. Montenegro shot a whopping 14-of-31 from deep.
Meanwhile, the Mexicans had four players in double digits. Pako Cruz led all scorers on the team with 16 points, while Joshua Ibarra had 13, Fabian Jaimes had 12, and Paul Stoll had 10.
#4 Latvia decimates Lebanon
The Latvia-Lebanon game was the most lopsided contest of the 2023 NBA FIBA World Cup Day 1. Davis Bertans and Co. had no issues playing without star Kristaps Porzingis as they steamrolled past Lebanon with a 109-70 win.
The Latvians took a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, which turned into a 25-point advantage at the break. They shot 18-of-35 from deep, contributing to their one-sided win over their underdog opponents.
Six players scored at least 10 points for Latvia, with Dairis Bertans leading the charge, tallying 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Sergio El Darwich and Omari Rasulala Spellman scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, for Lebanon.
#5 Dominican Republic beats Philippines in a thrilling contest
The Dominican Republic and the Philippines produced the best game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Day 1 fixtures. It was a tightly contested matchup throughout. The teams were barely separated by a point or two until the end of the fourth quarter when Karl-Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic pulled away to secure an 87-81 win.
Jordan Clarkson tried his best to give the home team a win in front of a 38,115 record crowd but came up short after he fouled out with 3:32 left in the game. The Filipinos trailed by three points at that stage, and the game could've gone either way. Clarkson finished with a game-high 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Karl-Anthony Towns was the best player for the winning team. He had 26 points and 10 rebounds.
#6 Germany prevails over Japan
Germany took care of business against co-hosts of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Japan on Day 1. The game was one-sided from the start, as the Germans pulled away with a 23-11 lead in the first quarter. Moritz Wagner was the unlikely hero as he tallied 25 points for Germany, while Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis scored at least 10 points in the 81-63 win for the Germans.
Japan didn't have much going against one of the top five contenders. Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba were the rare bright spots for them. The former had 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while the latter finished with 15 points and four rebounds.
#7 Lithuania handles business against Egypt
Lithuania and Egypt were part of another lopsided game during Day 1 of the 2023 FIBA World Cup tournament. Lithuania rode behind a collective effort to script a 93-67 win over Egypt. Margiris Normantas (18 points), Jonas Valanciunas (15 points) and Eimantas Bendzius (10 points) were the key architects of the win.
Egypt had four players scoring in double-digits, but the rest of the team didn't have much to show against their European counterparts. Assem Marei had 14 points, while Amr El Gendy had 13 points in the game. The Egyptians got outplayed in every facet of the game.
#8 Canada blows out rival contenders France
The marquee opening day game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup between Canada and France turned out to be lopsided, much to everyone's surprise. The Canadians proved their doubters they are among the top teams after knocking rival contenders France out of the water with a 95-65 win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was Canada's MVP of the game, as expected, as he tallied 27 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Kelly Olynyk had 18 points, while Dillon Brooks scored 12. Canada's defensive versatility shut France down, limiting them to 41.7% shooting. France could only get 60 shot attempts off.
Evan Fournier was the only player to provide them with any spark, as he went for 21 points.
