Olympics Basketball Men’s Semifinals Odds and Picks

Spain vs. Russia and the United States vs. Argentina are the two semifinals in the Olympics Basketball Men’s event; there are no real surprises there, but plenty of basketball to watch and bet on.

Argentina vs. USA -25.5:

These two teams met just a few days ago, and despite USA ended up covering the 23 points on the spread, the game was much closer that many people anticipated. It was only when Kevin Durant caught fire in the third quarter when they match seemed out of reach for the Argentineans.

Don’t expect Argentina to make the same mistakes they did in that third quarter, and expect a closer game throughout the four quarters. However, there is no room for an upset here as the Americans are just too good to be eliminated in semifinals.

Pick: Take Argentina +25.5.

Spain -5 vs. Russia:

People are actually misreading the Spain basketball team, mostly because of the latest results, but I would overreact about them. Spain is a talented team, with experience and a tremendous game inside the paint.

Believe it or not, Spain lost to Brazil in order to avoid meeting the USA team before the final.  I know it might not sound or as ethical as other ways to get to the final, but Spain chose that path with lots of intelligence.

Russia, on the other hand, can be taken lightly either. The Russians beat Lithuania 83-74 in quarterfinals, which is not a minor thing. Lithuania was the only team that gave the USA a headache in the group stage.

Pick: Spain -5.