FIBA World Cup 2023: Japan magic continues, Gilas Pilipinas lose again / News - Basketnews.com

Lauri Markkanen starts the day off searching for a first win for Finland. All five African teams have one victory each, while Japan is the only Asian team to have earned a win en route to a 2024 Paris Olympics appearance.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

The day after the finish of the First Round, the 2023 FIBA World Cup comes back with eight more games where countries fight for the right to play in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

All five African teams, including the World Cup debutants Cabo Verde and South Sudan, had earned one win each in the First Round. With the ticket to the Olympics going to the best-placed country in the World Cup, the fight for survival was fierce.

However, out of five teams, only South Sudan and Egypt earned victories on Thursday.

South Sudan almost wasted a 20+ point lead against Gilas Pilipinas but

Japan remained the only team from Asia, all six of which play in the Second Round, who have two victories in the first four games of the tournament. Japan, who sensationally beat Finland on Sunday, defeated Venezuela after erasing a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Only China now poses a threat to Japan en route to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Having been winless before, Lauri Markkanen's Finland earned their first win against Cabo Verde. To end the day, France, a team viewed as one of the tournament favorites, played against Iran in the classification stage and recorded an easy win.

Every game of the World Cup can be streamed live or on-demand via the officialCourtside 1891 platform. (Streaming restrictions apply)

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Completed matches:

Cabo Verde 77:100 Finland

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Angola 76:83 China

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New Zealand 100:108 Mexico

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Cote d'Ivoire 84:94 Lebanon

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Japan 86:77 Venezuela

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South Sudan 87:68 Philippines

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Egypt 85:69 Jordan

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France 82:55 Iran

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