As the 2024 Olympics heat up, top sportsbooks have just released their odds for Friday’s events.
Three games, from two different sports, interest me as worth investing in: Greece vs. Australia and Spain vs. Canada in basketball, and Morocco vs. USA in soccer.
For your best bets, I recommend investing in the Australians, Morocco-USA “Over”, and Canadians.
Greece vs. Australia (Basketball)
Friday, August 02, 2024 – 07:30 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Greece’s Perimeter Defense
When Spain beat Greece by seven points, the Spaniards relied heavily on their three-point shooting. They made 15 three-pointers, converting nearly half of their three-point attempts.
Their three-pointers not only created 45 points directly but their successful shooting from behind the arc also helped them score more points indirectly.
By thriving from deep, Spain stretched out Greece’s defense, as the Greeks were forced to try to focus on guarding the perimeter, which came at the expense of devoting as much attention to guarding the interior.
This game makes it clear that Greece’s perimeter defense is rather poor and vulnerable. As such, the Greeks are especially likely to struggle against teams that can shoot well from deep.
Australia’s Three-Point Shooting
I like the Australians in this matchup because their guards will overwhelm Greece, especially by thriving from behind the arc. Australia boasts several NBA players who can shoot reliably well.
Josh Green, for example, played for the Dallas Mavericks last season and was recently acquired by the Charlotte Hornets. Last season, Green shot 38.5 percent from deep.
Another good Australian three-point guy is Joe Ingles of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ingles, in his NBA career, converts 41 percent of his three-point attempts.
Relying Too Heavily on Giannis
Greece is 0-2 so far in these Olympics because it is relying exclusively on Giannis.
Against Spain, Giannis benefited from facing the Spaniards who are no longer in the NBA.
However, in an Australian team, he’ll encounter Jock Landale of the Houston Rockets.
Landale’s defensive rating shows that he is a strong defender.
As a center, he’ll be tasked with protecting the rim for Australia. He’ll be the toughest test inside that Giannis has faced in this tournament.
With Landale, Australia has a scoring and defensive menace inside to complement its strong guard play.
Basketball Best Bet: Australia -5.5 (-120) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Morocco vs. USA (Soccer)
Friday, August 02, 2024 – 09:00 AM ET at Parc des Princes
USMNT’s Attack
USA’s offense doesn’t seem to be as good as it really is, because of the tough competition it has faced.
Its first match was against a French side that, through three games in Olympics competition, has yet to allow a goal.
But since facing France, the Americans have scored four goals against New Zealand and three goals against Guinea.
They have a deep offense, laden with goal scorers who are able to score early in games as well as often. Against Morocco, expect them to attack especially from the sides.
Morocco Can Score, Too
Morocco’s offense is also effective, though.
In Soufiane Rahimi, the Moroccans actually have the leading goal scorer in the Olympics competition this year, the same guy who leads the Moroccans all-time in Olympics soccer scoring.
Takeaway
With both teams showing a tendency to concede goals and having potent attacks, the best way to attack this game is by playing the “Over.”
Soccer Best Bet: Over 2.5 (-103) at BetOnline
Spain vs. Canada (Basketball)
Friday, August 02, 2024 – 11:15 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Spain’s Reliance on Three-Point Shooting
Spain has, especially against Australia, really struggled to score inside. They don’t have the NBA talent to compete in the spaces close to the basket.
Both of their last games – against Australia and then Greece – show that the Spaniards really want and need to succeed from deep in order to be competitive. They attempt a high volume of three and rely on making many threes.
Given this reliance on three-point shooting, we must be especially interested to assess the quality of the perimeter defenders of its opponents.
Canada’s Perimeter Defenders
I like Canada in this matchup because of the quality of its perimeter defense. Canada is actually stacked in this respect.
Luguentz Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dillon Brooks have all at least received votes for the All-NBA Defensive Team.
With his length, RJ Barrett is another example of a Canadian defender who has been known to be a strong perimeter defender.
With Brooks and Barrett, Canada has the strong and physical players who can lock down Santi Aldama, Spain’s forward – and biggest threat from deep – who wants to stretch the floor by shooting threes.
Spain’s Limited Defense
Spain’s defense has looked ok when it faced an offense – the Greeks – that relied on a single player. But the Spaniards allowed 92 points to an Australia team that is much more well-rounded.
I like Canada’s offense in this game because it is much more like Australia’s.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a great creator and scorer. Jamal Murray is likewise an NBA star known for his scoring. Canada has even more effective scoring options with which to complement its strong defense.
Basketball Best Bet: Canada -9 (-110) at BetOnline
The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
