The ‘Group of Death’ concludes tomorrow, with all the teams vying to qualify for a quarter-final spot in men’s basketball’s preliminary round of Olympics 2024.
Canada, Spain and Australia are all in for a dogfight as they slug it out to see who gets to be in a comfortable spot atop. Meanwhile, all hope is not lost for Greece—that is, if they can put a convincing beating on the Aussies.
Elsewhere, defending World Cup champions Germany will battle with hosts France to determine who will lock up the number one seed in Group B.
It’ll be an exciting race to the knockout stage, so make sure to read all the details here at SBOTOP!
Canada vs Spain
The Canadians had high expectations when they sent this NBA laden lineup to compete here in Paris.
And it’s so far, so good.
After two games, Canada have been in a different class, and are making it look like the ‘Group of Death’ doesn’t bother them one bit.
Despite Jamal Murray struggling to find his rhythm, they have shown that a star player shooting blanks doesn’t seem that big of a deal when you have guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett and Dillon Brooks leading the charge.
Against the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece, Barrett and Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 and 21 points, whilst Dillon Brooks added 14 of his own in a 79-86 win.
And when it was time to go against the Boomers—who themselves are also loaded with NBA calibre talent—Barrett’s 24 points, along with double-digit outings from Lu Dort, Brooks and Gilgeous-Alexander were enough to dispose of a tough Aussie squad.
Spain, on the other hand, will need to be perfect if they want to have any shot against Canada—and in advancing to the next round.
Veteran Sergio Llull turned back the clock against Greece with 13 points and seven assists, whilst Santi Aldama led Spain with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Canada are favourites on paper, but I’m sure Spain can give them a problem or two. Not enough, however, to take the win.
Betting tip: Winning Margins Canada 7-9 points @ 7.50
Australia vs Greece
They may need Canada’s help to finish in the top two, but first, they ought to take care of business against a very game Greek team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the tournament in scoring with 30.5 points per game. And with Greece’s back against the wall, expect the Greek Freak to go all-out against Australia.
Antetokounmpo’s imminent explosion should cause little concern to the Australians—that is, if they can mitigate his scoring outburst with one of their own. And with players like Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, Jock Landale, Dyson Daniels and Josh Green, they can surely go toe-to-toe with one of the NBA’s best.
Australia will look to Landale to secure the paint—as he has been doing so in their last two games—whilst Giddey and Mills should get plenty of chances to close the Greeks out.
It will be a competitive affair, but I just see no outcome where Australia lose this one.
Betting tip: Money Line Australia @ 1.40
France vs Germany
The battle between the world champions and Victor Wembanyama’s France is a marquee matchup that you do not want to miss.
The host nation went through the wringer against Brazil and Japan, with the latter almost upsetting the Olympics 2024 odds had it not been for Matthew Strazel’s heroics.
Les Bleus had a slow start in their opener with Brazil before running away with the game in the second-half. Nicolas Batum and Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points each to lead them home.
Japan, meanwhile, pushed the hosts to the brink with 5-foot-8 Yuki Kawamura’s 29-point performance.
To their dismay, Strazel’s four-point play at the death forced the game to overtime, and France never looked back.
Four players finished the game in double figures for France, with Wembanyama and Strazel leading the way with 18 and 17 points apiece.
Unlike France, Germany made quick work of Japan (97-77), as Franz Wagner scored a game-high 22 points. Fellow NBA cagers Daniel Theis, Mo Wagner and Dennis Schroder also contributed with a combined 46 points.
With both teams tied at two wins apiece and the talent level at an all-time high, expect this game to be filled with Olympics 2024 highlights. This is a toss-up between the two, but I’m banking on Germany to have a little edge.
Betting tip: Winning Margins Germany 3-6 points @ 6.00
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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