Japan vs France Basketball Preview: Prediction, rosters and more for 2023 FIBA World Cup tune-up

Modified Aug 17, 2023 18:55 GMT

Yuta Watanabe of Japan and Rudy Gobert of France

Japan host France on Aug. 17, Thursday, as part of the Tokyo tune-up games in preparation for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup. France is looking to stay unbeaten as they take on Japan at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The Five Reds are coming off a 75-65 win over Angola on Tuesday. Keisei Tominaga had a game-high 20 points, hitting six 3-point shots. Yuki Togashi added 13 points, but Japan lost Yuta Watanabe to an ankle injury in the second half. It's unclear if the Phoenix Suns forward will be out for Thursday's game.

Meanwhile, Les Bleus remained undefeated in their tune-up games after a massive 76-70 win over Lithuania last Friday. Guerschon Yabusele came up big with 19 points on 56.0% shooting from the field, while Frank Ntilikina and Elie Okobo combined for 21 points off the bench.

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2023 FIBA World Cup tune-up game preview

Japan is one of the host nations for the upcoming FIBA World Cup. They're also looking to end with the best record among Asian countries for outright qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics. They have been pretty consistent in their first seven tune-up games, with a 5-2 record.

Meanwhile, France has been impressive since the start of their training camp. They're 5-0 so far, with wins over Tunisia, Montenegro, Venezuela and Lithuania twice.

Notably, they achieved great results in their last three major international competitions: third place at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and another silver medal at the 2022 EuroBasket.

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Japan vs France prediction

France will be the favorites to win their matchup against Japan on Thursday in Tokyo.

They're the fifth-best team in the world heading into the FIBA World Cup, while Japan is just at No. 36. It could end up being a lopsided win for Les Bleus despite home-court advantage for the Five Reds.