2024 Paris Olympics Basketball Odds & Picks: Friday (8/2)
We’ve got an entertaining four-game slate on the Men’s side for Friday!
That four-game slate includes a game between Canada and Spain and another between France and Germany. While the US doesn’t play, plenty of notable NBA players will still take the court.
We’ll provide the best bets for both games mentioned above.
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Friday’s Best Men’s Olympic Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Canada vs. Spain
Team Canada already has wins against Greece and Australia. While the deficits weren’t huge, Canada was dealt a tough Group and has still managed to pull out wins.
R.J. Barrett has led the way in both games. Meanwhile, Shai Gllgeous-Alexander took four fewer shots than Barrett against Australia despite hitting 8-of-10 from the field.
Things are working out, so there’s no need to change much. But I’d like to see Gilgeous-Alexander lead the team over Barrett. It’s hard to imagine Barrett can sustain this type of success knowing his inconsistency in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Jamal Murray scored only five points off the bench. Many figured he would be a huge option off the bench. But that hasn’t happened. Despite the two wins, I’m not sold on Canada just yet.
Canada will face Spain for the third matchup of the Group Stage. Spain is 1-1 with a loss to Australia and a win over Greece. Santi Aldama has been the key piece to the offense throughout the first two games. Spain also nailed 48.4% from downtown against Greece last time out. That’s probably not sustainable, either. Plus, Spain’s starting lineup had four players score 11 points or lower.
I’m backing the Under in this matchup.
Pick: Under 169 (-108)
France vs. Germany
This France team still needs improvement. While France is 2-0, they’ve added a 12-point win over Brazil and only beat Japan by four.
Victor Wembanyama added 18 points, but Nic Batum scored just five points in 31 minutes. Rudy Gobert has been a monster on the glass, but he’s never a scoring threat. Ultimately, France shot just 42.5% from the field against Japan. Wembanyama was clutch, but the rest of the starters weren’t. France has struggled to defend guards to begin tournament play.
On the other hand, Germany added a 20-point win against Japan and knocked off Brazil by 13. They’ve had better results so far. Dennis Schroder always becomes one of the best guards in the league when he’s with Team Germany. Against Brazil, he led the way with 20 points. Franz Wagner scored 17, and Isaac Bonga contributed 18.
Germany goes ten deep and doesn’t overplay its players. Schroder and Franz Wagner get a little more than 30 minutes, but no other player plays more than 25 minutes. This keeps everyone fresh, which is why Germany shot 50% against Brazil in their latest win.
Let’s back Germany -4 against France.
Pick: Germany -4 (-110)
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