Lithuania vs Mexico Prediction & Betting Tips - Basketball World Cup

Prediction published on 26/08/2023, 10:54  by Joseph King | Modified on 26/08/2023 at 10:54 in Basketball World Cup Predictions

The second group stage game in the FIBA World Cup pits Group D leaders Lithuania against third-place Mexico. Lithuania got their tournament started in fine fashion with an expected 93-67 win over 55th-ranked Egypt. It was always going to be a one-sided affair as eighth-ranked Lithuania were facing off against one of the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament. They’ll face a slightly tougher test this time around against Mexico, albeit still enter as double-digit favorites. Lithuania were led by the inside/outside combination of point guard Margiris Normantas (18 points) and Pelicans seven-footer Jonas Valanciunas (15 points, 10 rebounds). Overall, the Lithuanians showed the strength of their depth as all 12 squad players got on the scoresheet. The performance of Valanciunas was particularly impressive as he put up his double-double in just 17 minutes of play. Look for the NBA star to have another huge performance here.

Mexico came into this tournament in red-hot form after winning all five of their warm-up games, which included back-to-back victories over Argentina. However, they were brought quickly back down to Earth in their opening matchup as Montenegro cruised to a 91-71 victory. Mexico will now look to bounce back against a team in a similar mold to the Montenegrins but will likely struggle yet again. There was a clear deficiency in the paint for the Mexicans in their opener as they struggled to cope with Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. Of course, Vucevic is a multiple-time All-Star and one of the better players at this tournament. However, it pointed to a larger problem that Mexico has against talented bigs. The problem for this encounter is that there is no shortage of talented big men on this Lithuania team.