Five games you cannot miss in the Second Round of the Americas Qualifiers

MIAMI (United States) – In a matter of days, the best international basketball will be back with Window 4 of the Americas Qualifiers for the FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup 2023, which will be played on August 25th and 29th.

This window marks the beginning of the Second Round of the Qualifiers, in which the 12 best teams in the region will seek to book the seven tickets to the World Cup which will be held next year in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

All the teams must continue to keep their A-game in the upcoming games to not lose the momentum and fall in the standings. Within these next few days there will be games that can already be classified as crucial.

Here are some of games you can’t miss in Window 4:

Puerto Rico vs Brazil (Group F)

When: August 25 – 8:10 p.m. local time (GMT -4)
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico (Roberto Clemente Coliseum)

Brazil is coming off a great first phase with a 5-1 record while Puerto Rico finished the group stage at 3-3. The Caribbean team needs this win more, and will look to put on the best performance at home.

It is expected to be a high tension duel because both squads will have several of their top performers. Puerto Rico announced in their preliminary list the return of Javier Mojica, while Tremont Waters could make his debut with the national team. Brazil have Marcelinho Huertas, Didi Louzada and Cristiano Felicio, among others. A victory for Brazil would mean establishing themselves at the top of their group, while for the Puerto Ricans it could be the beginning of a climb.

Canada vs. Argentina (Group E)

When: August 25 – 7:40 p.m. local time (GMT -7)
Where: Victoria, Canada (Victoria Memorial Arena)

Clash of powers. The North Americans have been the best team in the Qualifiers with a perfect 6-0 record and the Argentines are close behind with a 5-1 record. Canada has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Window 3 MVP, on their preliminary roster, along with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, veteran Kelly Olynyk and Oshae Brissett, who is making his senior debut.

The South Americans will have Facundo Campazzo back and will be reinforced by the arrivals of Gabriel Deck and Nicolás Laprovíttola. Both Deck and Laprovittola have not worn the blue and white since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The winner of this duel will solidify first place in the group and will take a big step towards the goal of keeping one of the World Cup tickets.

Venezuela vs Dominican Republic (Group E)

When: August 29 – 18:10 local time (GMT -4)
Where: Barquisimeto, Venezuela (Bolivarian Dome)

The Dominican squad will have the NBA’s Chris Duarte in their squad, who will defend the colors of his country for the first time in his career. His addition will give more power to an offense that was already very good (86.5 points per game, fourth best). This is an aspect that the team has to try to take advantage of against a direct opponent like Venezuela, which has been one of best defensive teams (57.2)

The Dominican Republic enters the second round with a 4-2 record and Venezuela with 5-1, but before this crucial matchup, both will play on the 25th against Panama and the Bahamas, respectively. The truth is that whoever manages to come out on top will put themselves in a great position to continue.

Brazil vs. Mexico (Group F)

When: August 29 – 7:30 p.m. local time (GMT -3)
Where: Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil (Jaraguá Arena)

Mexico (4-6) have the possibility of getting close to booking one of the seven spots for the World Cup, but the task will not be easy. Brazil have already shown that they have a solid team on the boards (leaders with 48.5 rebounds) and with three-pointers (fifth best with 35.6%).

However, forward Juan Toscano, who won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, could make a difference due to his defensive skills and athletic ability. We'll see if it will be enough.

Uruguay vs. Puerto Rico (Group F)

When: August 29 – 8:10 p.m. local time (GMT -3)
Where: Montevideo, Uruguay (Antel Arena)

As we said before, Puerto Rico needs to climb after a first phase with ups and downs and one of the opponents that they have in their sights is Uruguay that is ahead by one game (4-2). This is a must-win for Puerto Rico to put themselves above a direct opponent. But they will have to deal with a Uruguayan crowd that will not give Puerto Rico a warm welcome at all.

Uruguay will have point guard Jayson Granger and it is expected that they will have the return of Bruno Fitipaldo, who will not be available for the 25th against the United States.

FIBA