Men's Olympic Basketball Semi Finals Betting Preview
By Monty Andrews
Covers.com
Spain vs. United States (-13, 186.5)
One-sided wins by the Spanish and American men’s basketball teams has led to what should be an entertaining semifinal showdown between the two world powers in the Olympic semifinals Friday. Spain booked its ticket to the final four with a convincing 92-67 walloping of France, while the U.S. exerted some defensive dominance en route to a 105-78 rout of an overwhelmed Argentina squad.
The Americans and Spanish have met in each of the past two men’s basketball finals, with the U.S. prevailing 118-107 in 2008 and repeating as Olympic champion with a thrilling 107-100 triumph in London four years ago. Neither team has looked particularly dominant in getting here, but judging by their respective performances in the quarterfinal, both clubs are playing their best basketball heading into this one.
ABOUT SPAIN: The Spanish side looked done after opening the competition with losses to Croatia and Brazil, but has stormed back to win its next four games by an average margin of 25.8 points. French star Tony Parker paid Spain the ultimate compliment following his team’s quarterfinal defeat, likening his opponent to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spanish side is led by Pau Gasol, who comes into Friday ranked sixth in the tournament in scoring at 17 points per game.
ABOUT THE U.S.: Things looked dire for the Americans after they fell behind by 10 points early against Argentina. Coupled with back-to-back three-point victories entering elimination play, fans were rightfully concerned. But they righted the ship in the second quarter and cruised from there, led by a sensational effort from Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant (27 points, seven rebounds, six assists). He leads the U.S. in tournament scoring at 18.5 ppg.
TRENDS:
* The United States is 10-0 against Spain in Olympic competition, and has averaged 113.6 points over their last five meetings.
* The teams are first and second, respectively, in 3-point shooting, with the Americans at 38.1 percent and Spain close behind at 37.7.
* The U.S. has scored at least 94 points in all six games so far, while Spain has exceeded the 90-point barrier in four straight.
* The Americans have sizeable advantages in bench scoring (43.8 to 29.8) and fast-break points (21.2 to 11.7).
Australia vs. Serbia (+3.5, 164)
Upstart Serbia has its shot at revenge - and an unlikely spot in the Olympic men’s basketball final - when it tangles with Australia in semifinal action Friday evening in Rio. The Australians upended Serbia 95-80 in group play, and proved it won’t be a pushover as it walloped Lithuania 90-64 to reach the semis. The Serbians edged rival Croatia 86-83 to guarantee itself a shot at a medal.
Both teams fared well against the powerhouse American side in group play; Australia dropped a 10-point decision while the Serbians hung in right to the end of a 94-91 defeat. The Aussies are led by a handful of legitimate NBA fixtures, including Patrick Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut. Guiding the Serbian side is former NBA player Miroslav Raduljica, ranked seventh in scoring at 16.7 points per game.
ABOUT AUSTRALIA: The Australians have been one of the steadiest teams in the tournament, giving the U.S. a scare and putting together its best game of the event in the quarterfinals. They rank second only to the Americans in points per game (89.0) and have the best shooting rate from the field (51.7). Mills has been especially effective, averaging 21.2 points per game - tops among players on the four remaining teams - while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep.
ABOUT SERBIA: The Serbians were a longshot to get this far, trapped in a group with teams featuring multiple high-level NBA players. But one-sided wins over Venezuela and China in addition to that close call against the U.S. provided plenty of confidence, and they rode that to a memorable win over Croatia. Serbia has some long-range shooting of its own, with Bogdan Bogdanovic averaging 50 percent from beyond the arc through the first six games of the tournament.
TRENDS:
* Australia’s 15-point win back on Aug. 8 was the only meeting between the teams in Olympic competition.
* The Serbians have been one of the most balanced teams in the tournament, getting an Olympic-best 44.3 points from its bench.
* Serbia will need to watch its aggressiveness, as it comes into the semifinal round with a tournament-high 152 fouls through six games.
* Australia averages a tournament-best 26.7 assists per game, led