Olympic Basketball: Best Bets for Tuesday 7/30/24

The Paris Olympics have begun. Over the weekend, all 12 teams in the men's basketball competition participated in their first game.

Group play will continue on Tuesday with a three-game slate.

Olympic Basketball Best Bets

Greece vs. Spain

Over 163.5 Points (-110)

Greece and Spain will kick off Tuesday's basketball action at 5:00 a.m. ET.

Greece dropped their opening game to Canada by a score of 86-79. Spain fell in similar fashion to Australia, losing 92-80.

Both teams played in openers that cleared 163.5 points, and I like them to exceed that total once again on Tuesday.

Let's start with Spain. They put up 80 points against Australia despite shooting a trying 39.1% from the field. That's a very low clip, especially considering their top scorers are Santi Aldama of the Memphis Grizzlies and Willy Hernangomez of former NBA fame.

These seven-footers shoot predominantly from high-percentage areas of the floor and should see some shooting regression from inside. Past the sharpshooting Aldama, Spain went an ugly 6 for 29 (20.6%) from behind the arc. I'm expecting overall shooting regression for Spain on Tuesday.

The Greeks scored 79 points in their first Olympic battle despite shooting 39.0% from the field and 28.1% from three-point territory. Similar to Spain, positive regression could be imminent.

Spain's poor defense could give Greece a helping hand, too. The Greeks had a tough defensive draw in their first game, going up against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Dillon Brooks, and RJ Barrett of Canada. Those are just some of the top NBA names playing for the North.

Spain's perimeter defense, meanwhile, is lackluster. We could see the non-Giannis Antetokounmpo members of Greece find better scoring success, particularly their guards. It could also help Giannis find easier looks inside.

Both teams could look shooting regression in the eye, and Giannis is known for efficient inside scoring when the defense allows for it. All in all, I'll side with the over.

Australia vs. Canada

Jock Landale Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds (-113)

Australia and Canada will meet up on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Both teams won their first game against the aforementioned Spain and Australia.

Jock Landale played a big role for the Aussies in securing that win. He scored 20 points and grabbed 9 boards via 28 minutes of action.

Heading into Tuesday's contest, I like Landale's chances to surpass 20.5 combined points and rebounds (PR).

Projecting individual player usage in Olympic basketball isn't always easy. Landale, however, figures to play a meaty role for Australia. As mentioned, the Houston Rocket logged 28 minutes in that first game while the team's only other center, Will Magnay, saw just 12 minutes on the floor.

The lack of depth at the center position helps Landale's cause. He went 9 for 14 (64.3%) from the field against Spain, but that's a pretty normal shooting clip for a center who is scoring the lion's share of his points in the paint.

Plus, the Canadian team is chock-full of impressive guards but isn't as loaded with big men.

As mentioned, Landale recorded 29 PR in Australia's first game. I'm expecting all things to be even from a minutes and usage perspective against Canada. Even if Landale sees a dip in shot volume or fails to corral nine rebounds this go-around, he's still in a decent spot to clear a more manageable line of 20.5 PR.

I should note that Australia's big man attempted just one free-throw attempt versus Spain. As a team, Australia shot only 19 free throws.

Canada, meanwhile, surrendered 32 free-throw attempts in their first competition, granted the foul-drawing Giannis was on the other side. But even still, Landale could be primed for more looks at the charity stripe in this one.

France vs. Japan

France -17.5 (-110)

France and Japan will square off on Tuesday at 11:15 a.m. ET.

The French are favored by 17.5 points, and I think they can manage to cover.

France features five NBA players in Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Bilal Coulibaly, and Evan Fournier. France currently has the third-shortest odds (+1400) to win gold, behind the USA and Canada.

Japan, meanwhile, has the longest odds (+10000) to medal in the Olympics. Rui Hachimura and Keisei Tominaga are the only NBA talents on this team, though the latter logged just one minute in the first game of this tournament.

France won their first game against Brazil by a score of 78-66 after entering as 9.5-point favorites. Japan lost their first contest to Germany by a score of 97-77.

Germany secured a 20-point victory even while shooting a moderate 37.9% from downtown and making just 10 free throws. France, on the other hand, has three-point shooters Batum and Fournier on their side, while Wemby and Gobert are great at finding their way to the foul line.

Japan might not have an answer for Wemby. Japan's tallest player stands at 6'10", and the 7'4" Wemby can leverage his size and the FIBA goaltending rules -- which allow players to touch the ball while it's on the rim -- to his advantage.

Simply put, Japan looks to be outmatched in this contest, so I like France to cover.

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.