When the Olympics first allowed NBA players to compete, it proved to be an almost automatic gold medal for the United States.
Times have changed, though, and with more international players than ever before playing in the NBA, the Olympic tournament is not quite as clear-cut as it used to be.
My Analysis
While the US has won gold in 7 of the last 8 Olympic Games, and are the favorites to do so again, their warm-up games have proven that they could be in trouble on any given day.
We won’t see the US men’s team until Matchday 2, but we still have 4 very good matchups coming our way on Matchday 1, so let’s get into those games, all of which will be played on Saturday.
^Australia -217 vs Spain +152
Sunday at 5:00 AM EST | At the Tokyo Olympics, Australia ended up going home with the bronze medal, and they are expected to be in the medal hunt again this time around.
They had a solid build up to this tournament, going 6-1-1 in their last 8 games.
This is the 7th straight appearance at the Olympic Games for Spain, who won both of their preparation games.
This is a good matchup to start the tournament, but I like the Aussies to get the win and cover as a 5 ½ point favorite.
^MyBookie Olympics Odds & Lines to Win
Germany -5000 vs Japan +869
Sunday at 7:30 AM EST | Germany comes into this tournament as the reigning FIBA champions, and while they are a talented bunch, they also have the ability to go in the tank in games, as they did in a recent crushing loss to France.
Japan is not expected to do much in this tournament, but they are also going to prove to be a very tough out.
Germany is favored by 17 ½ in this game, and while I think they win, they might just have a hard time covering the spread.
^France -588 vs Brazil +338
Sunday at 11:15 AM EST | There is always a little bit of added pressure on the team that is the host nations, but when that team has the likes of Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama to call upon, it’s a little easier to relax.
France will open their Olympic campaign against Brazil and will start this game as a 9 ½ point favorite.
They are going to need to overcome a Brazil team that is fond of playing physical basketball, but when you consider the size of France’s front two, that might not be an issue. France to win and cover.
^Greece +242 vs Canada -370
Sunday at 3 PM EST | In terms of growth, Canada is one nation that is catching the eye among basketball fans, but with improved comes a higher level of expectation.
Canada will open their Olympic adventure against Greece as a 7 ½ point favorite, which is a far cry from where they were just a few short years ago.
All eyes will be on Giannis in this tournament, but he will be carrying almost the entire load for the Greeks.
This one might be closer than expected, and while I do like Canada to win, I do think Greece will cover the spread.
^Odds to Win Olympic Basketball Men’s Tournament
- USA -599
- Canada +930
- France +1350
- Serbia +1600
- Germany +2000
- Greece +2300
- Australia +3200
- Spain +6200
- Brazil +16000
- South Sudan +24000
- Japan +30000
- Puerto Rico +38000
No better backdrop to honour the 👑 at #Paris2024.
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 24, 2024
This LeBron James' chalk toss hits different.@KingJames | @TeamUSA | @usabasketball | @FIBA pic.twitter.com/TQPSytMYas
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