The Olympic men’s basketball is down to its final four, with Team USA a heavy favorite to capture gold, we will take a look at who could challenge and upset them in these Paris games.
While the Americans are -700 to capture gold, they can be beaten. Here are our predictions, betting odds and value bets.
Here are the odds to capture gold
- USA – 700
- Germany +800
- Serbia + 2000
- France +2200
Here are the odds to capture silver from the DraftKings Sportsbook:
- Germany – 145
- France +170
- USA +700
- Serbia +1800
Which men’s basketball team offers the most value?
The team that offers the most value is the host country, France, and this team is very good with plenty of NBA talent on the roster.
The NBA talent they have includes Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, Clippers forward Nico Batum, Evan Fournier of the Pistons, Rudy Gobert of the Timberwolves, former Celtics forward Guerschon Yabusele, former lottery pick Frank Ntilikina and more.
They have enough size bang with the Americans and enough shooting and ball handling to hang with Team USA.
They will face a tough German team in the semifinals, who defeated France 85-71 in pool play.
What about a tough German team?
Germany also has some NBA size with Magic forward Franz Wagner, who had 26 in the win over France on Aug. 2. Point guard Dennis Schröder, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, also scored 26 and could be a big factor in the game. Germany also has New Orleans Pelicans center Daniel Theis and former NBA swingman Isaac Bonga.
Can France pull off an upset here on their home court? I think they can, if they can get a big shooting night from Batum and Wembanyama.
The first time the two teams faced off, France was just 9-24 from 3-point range, while Germany was 12-26 from behind the arc. I expect that number to change and the French to move on to the Gold Medal game.
Which means, taking the French to win Silver at +170 adds some good value.
They will face off on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
Serbia is strong
As for Serbia, who will face Team USA on Thursday at 3 p.m., they are led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and Hornets guard Vasilije Micic.
They met Team USA in their Olympic opener back on July 28, falling 110-84. While I think this game could be closer, I don’t think Serbia has enough depth to hang with the Americans who are starting to hit their stride in these games.
I like Team USA to move on past Serbia and face the home team in the finals on Saturday in the gold medal game at 3:30 p.m.
USA Men’s Basketball Betting Prediction, Bonus and Value Bets
The Pick: It’s hard to pick against Team USA to win Gold.
Value Play: If you want to try and hit a value play here, take the French, they have the high-end talent and shooting that could frustrate the Americans. If Team USA isn’t having a good shooting day, the French could sneak in an upset and if you play then a +2000 you won’t be upset with your return.
One other value play: You can get the field vs USA at +450 with the best NJ sportsbook apps. If you think one of the other teams like Germany, France or Serbia can upset the Americans, this is another bet that offers some value.
