2024 Paris Olympics Men’s Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (7/27)
The Olympic basketball action is finally underway! Australia already beat Spain earlier this morning, 92-80, to get things started.
Germany and Japan will have finished by the time you read this, too. However, there are still two other matchups on the slate.
We’ve got France-Brazil at 11:15 a.m. ET and Greece-Canada at 3:00 p.m. ET. That final game should be electric. Therefore, we’ve added two best bets for these matchups. Tail along below!
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Saturday’s Best Men’s Olympic Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
France vs. Brazil
The France Basketball team has taken a significant step backward over the last year. France has lost four consecutive games in exhibition play and didn’t look good at all in last year’s 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The major difference between the World Cup and this year’s team is that Victor Wembanyama will play. He had been preparing for his rookie season with the Spurs last year, but now he can star for Team France. In addition, France has an electric defense, with Rudy Gobert also on the roster. Wembanyama and Gobert could play at the same time and protect the middle very well.
The team also has Evan Fournier, who typically comes alive for France in international games. Other notable players include Bilal Coulibaly, Guerschon Yabusele, and Frank Ntilikina. Meanwhile, Brazil doesn’t have any major notable players on its team. Bruno Caboclo will have his hands full with the France bigs. So, if he’s not contributing offensively, who will?
I’d take France at -9.5 in this one.
Pick: France -9.5 (-115)
Greece vs. Canada
This Canadian team is becoming very special. Almost the entire team is filled with NBA players. Sure, they’re not as deep as the USA, but they’ve got a lineup that could compete.
It includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort, and Jamal Murray. The list continues with Andrew Nembhard, Kelly Olynyk, and Dwight Powell. Maybe they’re a little weak at the center position without Zach Edey on the roster, but overall, they will be one of the most competitive teams in the Olympics.
They’ll face a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece squad with no other NBA prospects. For example, Greece just played Serbia and lost 94-72 on July 22. The team scored only 72 points, but Giannis added 17 points, and no other player scored more than 10.
In that game against Serbia, Antetokounmpo had a -15 +/-, which was the worst on the team. Perhaps he was trying to do too much with a roster that can’t do much.
Canada is a major threat to win a medal this year. At -7.5, I’ll take my chances with Canada basketball.
Pick: Canada -7.5 (-110)