NBA · 1 year ago

Olympics Men’s Basketball: USA vs. Serbia Preview & Best Bets

Ben DiGiacomo

Host · Writer

Prediction
Prediction: USA 109 - Serbia 86

Best Spread Bet: USA -16

Serbia has been the best team Team USA has played thus far, and Team USA still beat them by 26 in their group stage meeting. When this line came out, I expected it to be in the 20-22 point range in favor of Team USA, but not only is it currently at 16, but it was bought down from an opening price of 17.5. Maybe people are overreacting to Serbia's impressive comeback win against Australia, but that's enough for me to go against the Americans here.

This team was assembled to dominate the Olympics and clinch a gold medal, so I can't expect them to take their foot off the gas just a game shy of the Gold Medal match. USA by at least 20 today.
Preview
The final four are set in the Men's Basketball field, and Team USA and Serbia will meet this afternoon with a chance to face the winner of Germany and France for a chance at a Gold Medal. Team USA has dominated everyone they have played thus far, and they are getting better and showing more signs of cohesion every time they take the floor. They certainly cannot ignore Nikola Jokic and the rest of an impressive Serbia squad this afternoon, but Team USA has the pieces to dominate this game in every facet.

For Serbia to make this game close, they'll need to be blazing hot from beyond the arc while Team USA has no answers for them defensively. Both things occurring are hard to conceive, making USA's unique roster setup difficult to bet against. It will be interesting to see how Steve Kerr distributes minutes today. Still, we've seen him go with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Joel Embiid rather religiously to start off his starting five. For that fifth spot, expect it to be Jrue Holiday today.
Where to Watch
Serbia vs. USA
- Time: 3:00 p.m. ET | TV: USA Network | Streaming: NBC, Peacock
- Spread: USA -16 | Moneyline: USA -1800 | Total: 188.5
Best Bet: USA First-Half Team Total OVER 52.5
Half of the battle for Team USA is deciding when they want to "turn it on." Still, given that today's game is to advance to the Gold Medal game and against a very formidable Serbia squad with a ton of NBA talent, I expect Team USA to have a ton of urgency from the jump. Instead of toying with a relatively strong -10.5 first-half spread, we'll just back them to go over their first-half team total at 52.5. Serbia has been strong defensively throughout the tournament, but Team USA scored 110 points on them in their group stage meeting, including 58 in the first half. Team USA has averaged 60.7 first-half points in the three games since, eclipsing the 52.5 mark in each game. Team USA can make any defense look mediocre, so we expect them to do that today.
Top Prop: Joel Embiid 10+ Points (+108)
When it comes to Joel Embiid, it's always been about confidence and momentum for him. After a tumultuous start to his Olympic tenure, he's put together back-to-back elite games for Team USA against Puerto Rico and Brazil, and now he has his biggest challenge this afternoon with Nikola Jokic meeting him in the paint. He had 15 points in 23 minutes against Puerto Rico and 14 points in 12 minutes against Brazil, so believing that he'll get about 20 minutes against Jokic, we'll back him to score at least 10 points at plus-money.
Prediction
Prediction: USA 109 - Serbia 86

Best Spread Bet: USA -16

Serbia has been the best team Team USA has played thus far, and Team USA still beat them by 26 in their group stage meeting. When this line came out, I expected it to be in the 20-22 point range in favor of Team USA, but not only is it currently at 16, but it was bought down from an opening price of 17.5. Maybe people are overreacting to Serbia's impressive comeback win against Australia, but that's enough for me to go against the Americans here.

This team was assembled to dominate the Olympics and clinch a gold medal, so I can't expect them to take their foot off the gas just a game shy of the Gold Medal match. USA by at least 20 today.
Preview
The final four are set in the Men's Basketball field, and Team USA and Serbia will meet this afternoon with a chance to face the winner of Germany and France for a chance at a Gold Medal. Team USA has dominated everyone they have played thus far, and they are getting better and showing more signs of cohesion every time they take the floor. They certainly cannot ignore Nikola Jokic and the rest of an impressive Serbia squad this afternoon, but Team USA has the pieces to dominate this game in every facet.

For Serbia to make this game close, they'll need to be blazing hot from beyond the arc while Team USA has no answers for them defensively. Both things occurring are hard to conceive, making USA's unique roster setup difficult to bet against. It will be interesting to see how Steve Kerr distributes minutes today. Still, we've seen him go with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Joel Embiid rather religiously to start off his starting five. For that fifth spot, expect it to be Jrue Holiday today.

Olympics Men’s Basketball: USA vs. Serbia Preview & Best Bets

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