With the semi-finals set for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, let's not forget the 5 to 8 classification bracket that will take over Thursday's slate of games, which includes a showdown between Lithuania and Slovenia. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Lithuania-Slovenia prediction and pick.

Lithuania bowed out of the tournament following their brutal 86-67 loss to Serbia. It was certainly a bummer defeat as the Lithuanians just came off a giant-slaying win over the United States and were undefeated prior to the quarterfinals. The Lithuania defense was unable to contain the hot shooting from the Serbians, who made 55 percent of their field goals and 40.9 percent of their three-pointers. Meanwhile, Lithuania shot just over 42 percent from the field. Tadas Sedekerskis led the way for the team with 14 points while Rokas Jokubaitis added 13 points.

As for Slovenia, their chances of winning the 2023 FIBA World Cup came to a close after Canada dealt them a 100-89 loss on Wednesday. As usual, Luka Doncic led his team with 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting and four three-pointers. He also tallied four rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes before getting ejected as a result of two technical fouls. This marks two straight defeats from the Slovenians after they won four straight games to begin the tournament.

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

2023 FIBA World Cup Odds: Lithuania-Slovenia Odds

Lithuania: -6.5 (-106)

Slovenia: +6.5 (-120)

Over: 174.5 (-115)

Under: 174.5 (-111)

How to Watch Lithuania vs. Slovenia

Stream: ESPN+, Courtside 1891

Time: 4:45 AM ET/ 1:45 AM PT

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

Why Lithuania Will Cover The Spread

Apart from that brutal loss in the quarterfinals, Lithuania has been one of the better teams in the tournament so far. You can just chalk that up as a bad game, as horrible as it sounds since they did get eliminated from the World Cup as a result. That bad game could not have come at a worse time. But in the big picture, it's hard to discount the fact that Lithuania has been one of the pleasant surprises in the tournament. Whenever you beat Team USA, that should makes any team a serious squad.

That's why Lithuania still enters this game as 6.5-point favorites even though Slovenia has the best player among both teams. Size will be Lithuania's biggest advantage over Slovenia, much like against the United States. Look for them to go to Jonas Valanciunas as he goes up against Mike Tobey in the paint. Also look for Lithuania to exploit Slovenia's smaller guards and take them down on the block, much like they did to Austin Reaves versus Team USA.

Even though they have an NBA star in Valanciunas, this team still employs a balanced attack offensively. Five players average at least nine points per game. JV leads the way with 13.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Rokas Jokubaitis is a close second with an average of 12.8 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 6.2 per contest.

With Slovenia having just one day of rest, fatigue may also play a factor in this game, which helps Lithuania's chances of finishing the tournament on a strong note.

Why Slovenia Will Cover The Spread

As it has been all tournament long, Slovenia overcoming the spread hinges on one man: Luka Doncic. Slovenia's biggest advantage heading into Thursday is that they have the best player on the floor, which always gives them a chance.

This team's success revolves around the Dallas Mavericks superstar. He may come in more motivated than ever after getting ejected in their quarterfinals matchup versus Canada. In six FIBA World Cup games, Doncic is averaging 26.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He finished the Canada game with 26 points before getting tossed with two techs.

As much of a one-man show Doncic is, he did have help during Wednesday's loss. Klemen Prepelic was on fire from beyond the arc as he made four three-pointers en route to scoring 22 points on the afternoon. Preplic has been Doncic's most consistent supporting player. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 16.0 points through six tournament games so far.

Although they lost, Slovenia should be encouraged by the fact that they shot the ball exceptionally well versus Canada. Led by Prepelic, the Slovenians made 15-of-31 from downtown, good for a sizzling percentage of 48.8 percent.

Slovenia has also never lost three straight games in over 10 years. You think Luka Doncic will allow that to happen?

Final Lithuania-Slovenia Prediction & Pick

It feels criminal to go against Luka Doncic for this game, so I'll take Slovenia to win and cover. They may be less deep than Lithuania, but Doncic's impact on the game could outweigh that, as it did against a more loaded Australia team. They're also coming into this game on a little bit of a heater from beyond the arc, as they showed Wednesday versus Canada.

Final Lithuania-Slovenia Prediction & Pick: Slovenia: +6.5 (-120)