France vs Latvia Basketball Preview: Prediction, rosters and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023

The Group Stage of the 2023 FIBA World Cup is off to a hot start and the intensity will continue as France and Latvia from Group H will face off. The game is set for August 27 at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta.

France fell behind against the Canadian national team in their first game of the tournament. They ended the first quarter with a narrow lead but Canada started to find their rhythm in the second quarter.

Things fell apart for the French in the third quarter as they were outscored 25-8 and they were never able to recover.

As for their upcoming opponents, Latvia destroyed the Lebanese team in their opening game with a 109-70 victory. By the end of the first quarter, the Latvians were leading 27-17 and they just never looked back on their way to a 39-point win.

They displayed great team basketball, as six of their players finished in double figures.

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2023 FIBA World Cup: France vs. Latvia preview and predictions

France vs. Latvia FIBA World Cup 2023 predictions

Expect the Latvian National team to play with the same intensity and to produce the same effort that they did in their first game against Lebanon. Their efficient shooting carried them to a victory last time as they converted on almost 60% of all their field goal attempts.

They were also on fire from three with the whole team shooting on an 18/35 clip from downtown.

The whole team tallied 34 assists in total, displaying that they were willing to share the basketball. Latvia was also able to take care of the ball very well, only turning the ball over five times over the course of the entire game.

Latvia should rely on their ball movement when they go up against France. Their willingness to share the rock led to an efficient shooting night and the team should try to replicate this performance not just against France, but throughout the rest of the FIBA World Cup 2023 tournament.

On the other end of the Group H opening games in the FIBA World Cup 2023 tournament, the French squad struggled to get anything going against the Canadians.

They could not seem to find a bucket as they only shot 41 percent from the field throughout the whole game. Their three-point shooting was lacking as they only shot 21.4% from downtown.

They failed to take care of the ball, turning it over 17 times while only producing 14 assists throughout the game. Only three of their players scored in double figures as a majority of their players could not find their rhythm.

If France wants to bounce back against Lebanon, they will need to take care of the ball and their communication needs to improve. France will also need to find a way to defend Latvia's hot shooting as they hope to net their first 2023 World Cup victory.

France should win this one but will need to avoid complacency, as Latvia is capable of surprising them.

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France's 2023 FIBA World Cup 2023 roster

• Nicolas Batum
• Evan Fournier
• Rudy Gobert
• Guerschon Yabusele
• Nando De Colo
• Elio Okobo
• Sylvain Francisco
• Terry Tarpey
• Yakuba Ouattara
• Mathias Lessort
• Isaia Cordinier
• Moustapha Fall

Latvia's 2023 FIBA World Cup roster

• Rodions Kurucs
• Dairis Bertans
• Rolands Smits
• Arturs Strautins
• Klavs Cavars
• Aigars Skele
• Andrejs Grazulis
• Anzejs Pasecniks
• Arturs Kurucs
• Arturs Zagars
• Kristers Zoriks