Day 1 of the FIBA World Cup group stage ends with a banger as Canada and France get together. It's time to continue our FIBA World Cup odds series with a Canada-France prediction and pick.

These are two of the better teams in this tournament. The Canadian National Team brings a lot of youth and speed from two of the best point guards in the world. However, one of those players will not participate in this World Cup. Jamal Murray, who is fresh off of his first NBA Finals title, will sit out this tournament to give his body time to rest. Shai Gilgious-Alexander leads the squad as one of the top young players in the NBA. R.J. Barrett and fellow OKC Thunder teammate Luguentz Dort are other huge factors.

Minnesota Timberwolves starting center Rudy Gobert leads the way for France. Other notable players participating in the NBA are Even Fornier from the New York Knicks and Nicolas Batum from the Los Angeles Clippers. Guerschon Yabusele, who was drafted by the Boston Celtics back in 2016, currently plays for Real Madrid. This should be an exciting matchup to kick off this tournament for these two squads.

Here are the 2023 FIBA World Cup odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

2023 FIBA World Cup Odds: Canada-France Odds

Canada: +1.5 (-111)

France: -1.5 (-115)

Over: 167.5 (-108)

Under: 167.5 (-118)

How to Watch Canada vs. France 

TV: ESPN+

Stream: Watch ESPN

Time: 9:30 AM ET/6:30 AM PT

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Canada Will Cover The Spread

The Canadians enter this game as the underdogs. However, they currently have the second-best odds to win this tournament at +850 according to FanDuel. France is right behind them at +1000, and of course, USA is favored at -145. Anything can happen as there are some really good teams participating.

Canada is led by one of the bigger rising stars in the world. Gilgeous-Alexander can straight-up ball. SGA averaged 31.4 points,  4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and shot 51% from the floor last season. As a result of that dominance, he was placed on the All-NBA First Team. The Thunder are in a great position right now because they possess him for years to come. He is now in charge of leading this Canadian squad to glory.

Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Zach Edey round out what makes a very talented roster. Edey is a 7-foot-4 center who plays for Purdue University. Brooks is a scrappy and defensive player who isn't afraid to make his presence known. With the experience of the other players, I expect Canada to be in a position to cover this spread or even upset France in this opening game.

Why France Will Cover The Spread

Canada has a lot of their roster filled from players in the NBA, while France has a lot of European players establishing their presence in either France, Spain, or Germany. Frank Ntilikina was planning on playing but he injured himself in a friendly against Lithuania. Evan Fornier will be tasked with controlling the backcourt while Gobert and Batum run the frontcourt.

Someone to keep an eye out for is Sylvain Francisco. Francisco plays for Bayern Munich and is just 25 years of age. He averaged 12.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals last season for the Greek Basket League. Francisco played for the Metropolitans 92 back in 2017-18, whom Victor Wembanyama played for last season.

France fell to Australia 78-74 in a friendly a few days ago as their final preparation for the tournament.

Final Canada-France Prediction & Pick

I like Canada to cover this spread as the underdogs as they have the NBA experience that should give them the edge. SGA is more than enough to lead them to glory.

Final Canada-France Prediction & Pick: Canada +1.5 (-111)