2024 Paris Olympics Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (7/29)
Heading into Monday’s Olympic action, we have another full slate of events. And we have a ton of possibilities from a betting perspective, too. I like to bet on the tried and true sports that everyone knows, but also toss in an exotic sport that makes things a lot more fun. Unfortunately for Monday, some of the women’s field hockey favorites have too high of odds, so there is too much risk, and not enough reward. So, let’s focus on the sports you/we know best.
Here are the three best bets for July 29 at the Paris Olympics.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Monday’s Best Olympic Bets
(All bets are one unit unless otherwise specified)
Women’s Basketball: USA -20.5 (-118) vs. Japan
The Americans will look to power past an overwhelmed Japan side at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France. The United States is a who’s who of women’s basketball players, with Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson combining forces in a quest for an eighth consecutive gold medal for Team USA’s women’s team.
The Americans are a ridiculous 72-3 with seven straight gold medals in the Olympics. Let’s just say Japan doesn’t have the same kind of history, or the same star-studded roster, either. While Japan did top Canada 86-82 on Feb. 11, facing the USA is a much more daunting task. Evelyn Mawuli was good for 21 points, as was Mai Yamamoto. Saori Miyazaki joined them in double digits with 16 points. However, this is the Olympic, and Japan just doesn’t have the size to compete with the professional Olympians from America.
Women's Tennis: Jessica Pegula (-110) Elina Svitolina
Jessica Pegula of the United States, the No. 5 seed, picked up her first-ever Olympic singles victory with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland on Sunday. She rolls on, looking to oust Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
Pegula is seeded, and she had 30 winners against Golubic, who paired with Belinda Bencic to pick up a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics in women’s doubles. Svitolina knows about medals, snagging a bronze in the Tokyo games. She had very little issue with Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. However, Svitolina has not been able to find the combination to take care of Pegula, going 1-4 in her career in five previous matches. Back the seeded player, who is actually a slight underdog at most shops.
Men’s Basketball: Germany -12.5 (-110) vs. Brazil
Germany opened the Olympic games with a resounding 97-77 win over Japan in the opening match of Men’s Group B play. Surprisingly, Japan outrebounded Germany by a 39-to-36 margin, but the Japanese were also a lot more sloppy with 13 turnovers, to just five for the Germans. In addition, Germany shot 54.0%, while holding the opposition to 36.0%.
Meanwhile, Brazil was on the short end of a 78-66 loss against host nation France on Saturday in the opener of Group B action. Brazil hung tough on the boards, matching the 32 boards France was able to produce. However, the biggest difference was in the shooting department. The French shot 50.0% from the field, to 40.0% for Brazil. Also, the Brazilians were just 68.0% from the free-throw line, while turning it over 20 times.
Brazil is in over its head, and facing Germany isn’t going to be the elixir to cure its ills.
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish