Olympic Basketball: Best Bets for Saturday 8/3/24

Basketball at the Paris Olympics continues on Saturday, marking the final day of group play for the men's competition.

The single-elimination quarterfinals start next Tuesday. Saturday's two-game slate for the men's side will determine the landscape for the knockout round.

Olympic Basketball Best Bets

United States vs. Puerto Rico

Over 188.0 (-110)

The United States and Puerto Rico will meet up on Saturday at 11:15 am ET for the final game of group play before the men's quarterfinals start next Tuesday.

The States secured a spot in the quarterfinals after going 2-0 in the group stage, including a 110-84 win over Serbia and a 103-86 win over South Sudan.

Puerto Rico, meanwhile, has already been eliminated from contention. They lost to the Serbs by a score of 107-66 and dropped a game to South Sudan by 90-79.

With nothing but pride on the line for Puerto Rico and the USA coming in as a 33.5-point favorite, I think we should be in for a high-scoring game.

Team USA has been playing disciplined basketball, and head coach Steve Kerr has been pretty stringent on the rotations. I don't think we'll see that get thrown out the window on Saturday, but I do think this matchup will be grounds for lax defensive efforts and more three-point shooting than usual.

The bench players on Team USA, some of whom have seen limited minutes thus far, might get the green light in this one. Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton will probably put their extra minutes to use on the scoring end.

USA's game totals thus far have come out at 194 points and 189 points. Puerto Rico's weak defense and the circumstances heading into this game for the States could result in their highest-scoring performance yet. Plus, Puerto Rico shoots a ton of threes, as 40.7% of their shot attempts have come from behind the arc.

Devin Booker Over 1.5 Made Threes (-104)

I'm expecting three-point shooting to be the name of the game on Saturday, so who better to target in the made threes market than Devin Booker?

Booker has logged a team-leading 48 minutes (tied with LeBron James) through two games and is set to be in the starting lineup on Saturday. Veteran starters such as LeBron and Stephen Curry are strong candidates to reside on the bench in the case of a total blowout, but the younger Booker probably has a longer leash.

He's gone a combined 5-for-7 from downtown in two games. I expect Team USA to take a few more liberties on the scoring end in their last game before single-elimination play begins, so I'll back Booker to drain a pair of threes.

South Sudan vs. Serbia

South Sudan +14.5 (-112)

South Sudan and Serbia will square off on Saturday at 3:00 pm ET. Both squads have posted a 1-1 record in Group C, meaning the winner of this match will claim second place and secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

As a reminder of the Olympic rules, two third-place teams from group play will also advance to the knockout stage, with point differential serving as the deciding factor. For Serbia to advance without winning, they would have to lose to South Sudan by no more than 23 points.

South Sudan's path is much more brutal. Following wins from Greece and Brazil earlier this morning, the South Sudanese would have to lose to Serbia by no more than one point in order to stay alive.

We should be in for an exciting and competitive matchup, and I think South Sudan can cover a 14.5-point spread.

Serbia lost to the USA by 26 points but went on to pummel Puerto Rico by 41 points. South Sudan, meanwhile, lost to the USA by a lesser 17 points but beat Puerto Rico by just 11 points.

Nikola Jokic has been awesome for the Serbs. He gives this team a clear upper hand. However, the South Sudanese have been impressive in their own right throughout pre-Olympic and Olympic play.

FIBA rules favor taller teams. Not only do the goaltending rules allow players to touch the ball while it's on the rim, but the officiating accommodates much more physical play than we see in the NBA.

Half of South Sudan's roster stands at 6-foot-9 or taller. Their size and physicality allowed them to keep Wednesday's game against the USA within 17 points despite coming in as 29.5-point underdogs.

They have a lot to throw at Jokic and should come into this one highly motivated. As mentioned, Serbia can afford to lose this game by a massive 23 points and still advance to the knockout round.

South Sudan, meanwhile, has to keep the game within a mere point. With +710 odds on South Sudan's moneyline, this could be the end of the road for them. They won't go down without a fight and have been undervalued throughout the Olympics, so I'll side with South Sudan to cover on Saturday.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.