France vs. Australia: Odds, Time, Live Stream for 2019 FIBA World Cup
France and Australia will battle for the bronze medal at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Sunday's third-place game at Wukesong Arena in Beijing, China.
Both teams fell one win short of getting a chance to play for their first World Cup championship. Les Bleus couldn't build off their upset of the United States in a 14-point loss to Argentina, while the Boomers were eliminated from title contention in a double-overtime heartbreaker against Spain.
Let's check out all of the important details for the tournament's penultimate game. That's followed by a preview of the clash and a prediction for which country will capture bronze.
Key Information
Date: Sunday, Sept. 15
Time: 4 a.m. ET
Live Stream: ESPN Plus
Betting Line: France -1.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Game Preview
Australia picked up a thrilling 100-98 victory over France when the teams faced off in Group L as part of the event's second round. The rematch should be equally entertaining.
The San Antonio Spurs' Patty Mills (30 points), Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles (23) and Phoenix Suns' Aron Baynes (21) all enjoyed standout performances to help pace the Aussie offense. The Cleveland Cavaliers' Matthew Dellavedova chipped in six points and nine assists.
As a whole, the Boomers shot 57.6 percent from the field, including 48.1 percent on threes, and won the rebounding battle 30-23 in the first meeting.
Their advantage on the glass was on display again in the semifinals as they posted a 57-43 rebound edge over Spain on the strength of 20 offensive boards. A better shooting night—they made just 37.6 percent of their field-goal attempts and 10 of their 40 shots from beyond the arc—and they would have made the final.
Motivation for the third-place game after narrowly missing out on a trip to the title game is often a factor at this stage of major international tournaments. Australia head coach Andrej Lemanis is hopeful his team will bounce back strong given their experience at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.
"The experience that we had in Rio—what it felt like to finish fourth. I have the confidence that this group will be able to be well and truly refocus," Lemanis told reporters.
Meanwhile, France couldn't replicate the type of performance it put together to stun Team USA in the semifinals. They shot only 39 percent from the field and compiled just as many turnovers as assists (11 apiece). Argentina won the rebounding battle 41-36.
The play of Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the biggest difference. Two days after posting a double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds against the Americans, he took just three shots in 29 minutes en route to three points and 11 boards despite a lack of size in Argentina's frontcourt.
"From the first to the last minute, it was complete domination," Gobert said of Les Bleus' semifinal loss.
France will need a strong bounce-back effort to knock off an Australian squad that's been in great form since its own victory over the U.S. in an exhibition warm-up game.
Prediction: 86-83 Australia
