Friday promises an intriguing slate of basketball and soccer games for which top-rated sportsbooks have already released their Olympic odds.
I find three games in particular to be worth investing in: Australia vs. Greece, Spain vs. Canada, and Morocco vs. USA.
For your best bets, I recommend investing in Australia, Canada, and USA.
Basketball Picks
- Australia -4.5 (-120)
- Canada -9.5 (-110)
Soccer Pick
- USA ML (+210)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Greece vs. Australia (basketball)
Friday, August 02, 2024 – 07:30 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Greece’s Struggles
So far, Greece has gone 0-2 in Olympic competition. They lost by seven to Canada and then by seven to Spain.
They’ve been poor on both sides of the ball. On offense, they rely way too heavily on Giannis. They need him to score a ton of points, yet they still fail to remain competitive. Their defense, too, struggles, for it concedes a lot of points.
Australia’s Well-Rounded Offense
When the Greeks gave up 86 points to Canada, Canada relied largely on a couple of players.
Australia is different from Canada, in a good way, because it boasts a lot of effective scorers. In its last game, against Spain, Australia scored 92 points by having five different players score thirteen or more points.
Besides just having great scoring depth, the Australians have guys who can score a lot, such as Patty Mills, who typifies the superior Australian guard play, which has a great advantage against a Greece team missing NBA talent, especially in its collection of guards.
Greece’s Weak Offense
The Greeks primarily want to score inside where they have Giannis trying to dominate and where they rely less on their inept guard play.
So far, Giannis has encountered Canada’s interior defense, which is the weakest part of Canada’s defense – the Canadians have excellent perimeter defenders but rather low-quality NBA talent inside – and Spain’s collection of largely ex-NBA bigs.
In Australia, Giannis and company encounter a solid big in Jock Landale of the Houston Rockets, who not only can score a lot but, in the NBA, also boasts an annually excellent defensive rating.
Australia’s excellence on both sides of the ball and Greece’s limitations will ensure a strong Australia win.
Basketball Best Bet: Australia -4.5 (-120) at Bet365
Spain vs. Canada (basketball)
Friday, August 02, 2024 – 11:15 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Canada’s Scoring Talent
Canada’s collection of NBA stars is poised to thrive against a Spain team whose guards are not good enough to play in the NBA.
Indeed, Canada has some of the NBA’s finest scoring guards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, for example, manifestly enjoys great form. He is someone who can carry an offense with his distribution and his individual scoring.
In its last game, Canada improved its depth of scoring relative to its opening game against the Greeks. Despite facing a tough Australian side that boasts strong NBA-quality perimeter defense, Canada could rely on guys like RJ Barrett to complement Gilgeous-Alexander’s effectivity.
Spain is going to be an easier test for a Canadian group that dropped 93 points on Australia.
Spain’s Outlook on Offense
Offensively, Spain’s collection of ex-NBA bigs won’t threaten Canada’s interior talent, as the Canadians have NBA-level talent inside with which to protect the basket.
Canada’s strength is along the perimeter, which is great for this game because Spain’s best offense has come from its three-point shooting, as evident when Spain amassed 15 three-pointers in its last game – which is surely something that the Spaniards wouldn’t do again even against a weak perimeter defense.
Canada’s perimeter defense is anything but weak: several guys have received, at the least, All-NBA Defensive Team votes. The Canadians will limit Spain’s offense with the latter’s weak guards, while the Canadians also make the most of its depth of scoring talent on offense.
Basketball Best Bet: Canada -9.5 (-110) at Bet365
Morocco vs. USA (soccer)
Friday, August 02, 2024 – 09:00 AM ET at Parc des Princes
Value With The Americans
I see value here in an American side that is an underdog.
The Americans have won their last two games – against New Zealand and Guinea – by a combined score of 7-1. Led by Kevin Paredes, the Americans have excellent scoring talent.
However, they also have much more going forward than Paredes. Among others, Djordje Mihailovic shows great form. He has two goals so far for the United States.
With so much scoring talent, the Americans have a great chance against a Morocco squad that demonstrably lacks the ability to shut out good attacks that a team like France possesses.
The price is super attractive for USA.
Soccer Best Bet: USA ML (+210) at Bet365
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.