The Olympics have kicked off in Rio! Not only have we already previewed the 2016 Olympics, along with offering Australian Gold Medal hopes and a Rugby Sevens Betting Preview, we are now going to offer our 2016 Olympics Basketball Betting Tips!
2016 Olympics Basketball: Group A
France
USA
Venezuela
Serbia
China
Australia
Australia (The Boomers)
The Boomers are in medal contention at the 2016 Olympics. In the past they've never had a shot. But now, with an all NBA starting 5, they could easily make the semis.
There has been a lot of talk about Andrew Bogut being injured, but if his performance against China earlier this week is any indication, he’s fit and ready to go. Joe Ingles, meanwhile, was virtually unstoppable against China. In 30 minutes he scored 21 points with a 75% field goal percentage and had 6 boards, 3 assists and a steal. Paddy Mills and Aron Baynes have also been putting up strong performances against the PAC All-Stars in July.
We expect the Boomers will only drop one game in the group stage. We see Australia as the 2nd seed for Group A.
United States of America (Team USA)
Men’s Olympic Basketball has for a long time been dominated by the United States. Which makes a lot of sense when you consider the NBA is the biggest Basketball league in the world and the US has the biggest pool of players playing at the highest level. It safe to assume the Current Team USA roster will be equally dominant, In recent exhibition games against China, Argentina and Venezuela, USA have won by 49, 50 and 35 respectively. While these teams aren't exactly the medal favourites, it was clear Team USA had another gear and were playing conservatively.
Even with LeBron James, Steph Curry, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook staying away from the Olympics, Team USA is the standout favourite. Carmelo Anthony will play his fourth Olympic tournament and will be looking to win his 3rd Gold Medal.
2016 Olympics Basketball: Group B
Argentina
Spain
Brazil
Lithuania
Croatia
Nigeria
Spain
Pau Gasol had previously declared himself unavailable for the Rio Olympics due to the Zika Virus, but since then Gasol has reconsidered and will play. His inclusion is huge for Spain, especially with his Brother Marc Gasol unavailable due to a foot injury and Serge Ibaka who plays for the Orlando Magic also out of action.
Spain has won back-to-back silver medals. At the 2012 London Olympics, they lost to Team USA by a soul crushing 7 points. Spain has been very competitive on the international Basketball stage. They will likely go deep in Rio.
Lithuania
FIBA has Lithuania as the 3rd ranked team in the world. Despite a lack of NBA players, the Lithuanian National team is stacked with Euro League talent.
During a recent warm-up game against the Boomers, Lithuania won 81-68. Toronto Raptors Big man Jonas Valanciunas was the top scorer with 19 points and 8 boards. A few weeks ago Lithuania won an over-time battle against Spain 87-83. Mantas Kalnietis hit 24 points and had 5 assists. The victory will instil a lot of confidence ahead of the tournament but it should be said that Spain was severely under manned with Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Pau Ribas all sidelined.
2016 Olympics Basketball - Betting Tips
Here’s how we see it going. The final should be Team USA Vs Spain, but its the battle for bronze that will be the most interesting for us. While Australia did lose to Lithuania recently, they were deflated and without Bogut and clearly didn't play up to expectations. Paddy Mills shot an atrocious 38% from the field with Aron Baynes shooting 37% and Joe Ingles 42%. They should be able to perform better than that on the big stage and the $13 to win a medal looks like value.
- Tip: Spain to win a Medal - $1.80 at Sportsbet
- Tip: Australia to win a Medal - $13 at Sportsbet
We also like the look of the top Olympic basketball point scorer market. During the recent NBA finals, Kyrie Irving averaged 25.2 points per game. When Kyrie last played for Team USA in 2014 he was the starting point guard, averaged 12.1 points per game and won the MVP. Kyrie’s College coach from Duke University Mike Krzyzewski is again Team USA’s head coach and we can assume Kyrie will be starting and plaing plenty of minutes.
- Tip: Kyrie Irving Top Point Scorer - $10 at Sportsbet
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