With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, basketball fans are gearing up for an exciting tournament filled with international stars and potential upsets. While the Olympic Basketball odds might favor the United States, several teams are looking to dethrone the reigning champions.
Olympic Basketball Preview: Top Dates, Teams, and Upset Potential
| MyBookie Basketball Analysis of the Race to Gold
Olympic Games Paris 2024: Games of the XXXIII Olympiad
Basketball: July 27th – August 10th, 2024
Olympic Basketball Expert Picks
One of the most anticipated tournaments at this year’s Paris Olympics pits basketball stars in the United States like Steph Curry and LeBron James versus international stars like Serbia’s Nikola Jokic and France’s Victor Wembanyama.
Although the U.S. is a massive favorite to win gold in Olympic Men’s Basketball, national teams without Americans have begun to make great strides.
Canada, Germany, Serbia, and France are all looking to cause an upset this year.
Will the United States get it done? Or will one of these teams prevail?
Check out an in depth look at three teams with a chance at gold along with medal picks and an underdog on which to keep an eye.
The United States: A Favorite with Issues
The question isn’t whether the U.S. should be the favorite. It’s whether the -500 odds are a good bet.
The roster is deep with NBA stars, including:
- LeBron James
- Steph Curry
- Anthony Edwards
- Kevin Durant
- Derrick White
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Jayson Tatum
- Joel Embiid
- Jrue Holiday
- Bam Adebayo
- Anthony Davis
- Devin Booker
Olympic Basketball Teams With a Chance
What Nation Wouldn’t Want a Team with the Above Players?
Also, Steve Kerr knows how to win after leading the Golden State Warriors to dominance.
But as good as the U.S. is on paper, there are issues.
For example, Kevin Durant isn’t one hundred percent.
Also, the players on the U.S. side are a lot alike, meaning there doesn’t seem to be as much diversity in skill set as one would like.
Canada and France Boast Top NBA Players
The Canadians boast five NBA stars: Raptor RJ Barrett, Rockets player Dillon Brooks, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Pacers Andrew Nembhard, and Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in NBA MVP voting this past season.
Nembhard, Brooks, and Murray can play point or shooting guard.
Canada’s guard play could make a significant difference versus a team like the U.S., which appears to rely heavily on forwards.
France will lean on Victor Wembanyama, the Mr. Do Everything San Antonio Spurs center.
Wembanyama averaged 4 assists, 21.4 points, and 10.6 rebounds per game.
He can play any position on the floor.
Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, Frank Ntilikina, and Nicolas Batum are NBA players that will support Wembanyama in France’s quest for gold.
Jokic and Serbia Looking to Upset the Chalks
Nikola Jokic hopes to have the type of Olympics that he routinely has on a day-to-day basis with the Denver Nuggets.
Jokic, when winning yet another NBA MVP this past season, averaged close to a triple double with 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Nikola should reproduce similar stats at the Olympics.
If Bogdan Bogdanovic can bolster Jokic, the Serbs have an outside shot to medal.
Germans Could Be a Surprise Team
Four NBA players throw down for the Germans.
Franz Wagner, Denis Schroeder, Daniel Theis, and Moritz Wagner are solid pro players.
Wagner is turning into a star.
The former Michigan Wolverines averages 19.7 points and 5.3 boards for the Orlando Magic.
Schroeder is an NBA veteran while Moritz Wagner averages more than 10 points per game while shooting over 60% for the Magic.
Top Three Picks and Best Underdog
Gold: Canada +1100
There’s a reason Canada is taking some action to win gold.
While the United States will be tough to beat, the Canadians boast solid young talent that should control the pace of every game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Brooks, Nembhard, and Murray are solid guards that can pick up the pace or slow things down depending on the flow of each contest.
If it comes down to Canada versus the United States, the Canadians have a slight backcourt edge. It’s going to be hard for Steph and his mates to counter Murray and Gilgeous-Alexander.
There is a saying in the NCAA Touranament that you must have guards to win the National Championship.
The same could be true for Olympic gold this year.
Silver: USA -500
If the United States offered fair odds, they’d be the top pick.
But the -500 makes the Americans unplayable to win gold.
The issue is that most of the players on the team are close to 30 or over 30. In the case of Lebron, some are close to 40.
Sure, LeBron is a young 37, look at the man, but every NBA player over 30 has some nicks and bruises and sore muscles that they’ve developed over time.
The young Canadians will push the pace against the U.S., leaving star centers like Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis trying to catch up.
Choosing the U.S. to win silver makes sense.
Bronze: France +1400
Wemby is already one of the best basketball players on the planet.
He can do everything, including dish the rock.
As long as Wemby is on the floor, France will have a shot.
But the French are going to require more than Wembanyama, or even Wemby and Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier, to get by the Americans and the Canadians.
A bronze medal is France’s ceiling.
Best Underdog: Germany +3000
If things fall apart for the Americans, Canadians, and French, then the Wagners, Daniel Theis, and Denis Schroeder could pull off the upset.
The Germans had impressive games at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, winning the tournament ahead of Serbia, Canada, and the United States.
A similar performance could lead to gold.
Also, who can argue against the amazing odds? Give Germany a shot if you believe the FIBA World Cup win wasn’t a fluke.
Bet the Olympic Basketball | Olympic Basketball Live Betting MyBookie Betting Lines for the Matches
^ Top^ TopThe #Paris2024 men’s basketball pools are set!
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 8, 2024
Which match-ups from the preliminary round of the men’s tournament are you most excited about? pic.twitter.com/QTrKmosMQI
Test your Basketball Picks with Your MyBookie Account
Dive deeper into the 2024 Olympic Basketball matchups and place your bets on the team you think will go for gold!
Sign up for an account today to get started and see what kind of Olympic Basketball odds we’re offering.
With a wide selection of bets and competitive lines, you won’t want to miss out on the action!
JOIN NOWI have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?
Olympic Betting
MyBookie Boxing Lines for the Fights
Previous Betting News | MyBookie News Archive
Olympics Men’s & Women’s Basketball Semi-Finals Betting Preview
Previous Betting News
As we head into the final few days of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Some of the bigger tournaments are reaching their climax. Basketball, both on the men’s and women’s side, are heading into the semi-finals, which means that one of the remaining 4 teams will miss out on getting a medal. That is about as cruel as it gets, but it is also the nature of this tournament. With the final four on each side, we are now down to the best of the best on the court. Which teams will rise above the rest and go collect the gold medal? There would appear to be obvious choices on both sides, but as this tournament has already shown, surprises do happen. Let’s take a close look at both tournaments so you can bet against their Olympics Betting odds.
2020 Tokyo Olympics – Last Minute Men’s and Women’s Basketball Semi-final Matches Betting Analysis
Men’s Basketball Semi-Finals
In the top half of the bracket, you have France and Slovenia going head-to-head. The French caused the upset of the tournament, beating the US in the group stage and coming out on top of their section. They went on to face Italy in the quarterfinals and never really looked to be in any kind of trouble, beating the Italians 84-75, led by 21 points from Rudy Gobert. Slovenia blasted through Group C and made things look very easy on their way to an inbeaten 3-0 record. They faced off against Germany, who made it to the quarterfinals as one of the best 3rd place finishers, winning 94-70 in a bit of a blowout. Zoran Dragic led the way with 27 points.
In the bottom half of the draw, the United States will go up against a very good Australian team in the other semi-final. We already mentioned that the US lost to France in the group stage, but they did win their other 2 games to set up a quarterfinal match against Spain, which they won 95-81. It was Kevin Durant who led the way with 21 points. Australia have made things look pretty easy to this point, winning Group B with an unbeaten record. They then went on to trounce Argentina 97-59 in their quarterfinal game.
Women’s Basketball Semi-Finals
On the women’s side, we also now know who the final four will be, with their games set to be played on August 6. The top half of the bracket will see the United States and Serbia meet. The US romped to the top of Group B without breaking too much of a sweat and then easily disposed of 3rd pace qualifier Australia in a lopsided 79-55 win. The Serbians had a tougher path after finishing second to Spain in Group A. They pulled off what could well be the upset of the tournament to this point with a 77-70 win over China in the quarterfinals.
In the bottom half of the bracket, we have host nation Japan set to take on France. Japan finished behind the United States in their group, going 2-1 before squeaking by Belgium in an 86-85 thriller in the quarterfinals. France snuck in as the 3rd place finisher in the US group and have made the most of it, picking up a surprising 67-64 win over Spain in the last round.
I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?
Bet Olympics Today
MyBookie Odds for the Games
Olympics Betting Center
Olympics Odds and Lines
| Olympics Betting |
| Medal Tally |
Latest Olympics Betting Predictions:
- Olympic Handball Gold Medal Showdown: Who Will Claim Victory?
- USA Shocks the World: Unbelievable Gold Medal Win – Check Olympic Basketball Lines Today
- Olympic Volleyball Odds: Expert Analysis for the Gold Medal Race
- Spain vs France: Gold Medal Showdown and Olympic Football Betting Lines
- Final Weekend of Olympic Action: Don’t Miss Out on Betting Olympic Lines Today
