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USA vs Serbia Olympic Men’s Basketball Semifinal Prediction & Picks

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After being on the wrong end of a 26-point thumping in the group stage of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament, Serbia will get a second crack at the USA today. A place in Saturday’s gold medal game awaits the winner of this matchup, which is set for 3:00 pm ET and will be aired on USA Network.

In the first of today’s semifinal contests, France will take on Germany in a rematch of Group B rivals. Similarly, the nightcap will be a matchup of Group C rivals, and just as France will be aiming to do against Germany, Nikola Jokic and Serbia will be seeking some sweet revenge on the USA.

When the two teams met on July 28, the Americans showed why they were still very much the team to beat in the tournament despite some shaky warm-up performances.

The 110-84 win was their second 26-point win over Serbia in less than two weeks, following a 105-79 win in a warm-up game in Abu Dhabi on July 17.

Serbia has bounced back well from that loss, and they dug deep to overturn a big deficit and down Australia in the quarterfinals. However, they will need to dig even deeper to have a chance to end the USA’s hopes of a fifth straight Olympic men’s basketball gold.

USA vs Serbia Odds

Spread

USA -15.5 (-105)
Serbia +15.5 (-115)

Over/Under

Over 188 (-110)
Under 188 (-110)

Moneyline

USA -1200
Serbia +750

See more USA vs Serbia odds at BetOnline. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a bonus to bet on this must-see Olympic men’s basketball tournament matchup.

USA vs Serbia Betting Analysis

Simply put, does Serbia have a real chance to stun the USA?

It would be unwise to write off the team with arguably the best current basketball player in the world, especially with the way they were able to erase a 24-point deficit in Tuesday’s 95-90 overtime win over Australia.

The Boomers used a 27-5 run across the final two and a half minutes of the first quarter and the first three and a half minutes of the second quarter to take a 46-22 lead with 6:28 left before halftime.

At that time, it looked like Serbia was toast. But they cut the deficit in half by halftime, wiped it out in the third quarter, and went on to pull out the win by scoring the final eight points in overtime.

It was an extraordinary effort by Serbia, who survived some sizzling shooting performances by Patty Mills and Josh Giddey. And it will take even more for them to upset the USA.

After flexing their muscles against Serbia, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and company did not play to the same level against South Sudan and Puerto Rico.

Still, they hit the century mark in both games, and they made it four straight 100-points with a 122-87 destruction of Brazil in the quarterfinals.

The USA didn’t mess around, shooting over 50% in each quarter and making 57.7% of their shots for the game, including 15 of 31 (48.4%) from three. Six Americans scored in double figures, and every member of the squad besides Tyrese Haliburton scored at least five points.

It wasn’t expected to be a contest, as Brazil was the weakest of the eight quarterfinalists. And while it largely wasn’t, it was a strong statement of what this team can do in the money moments.

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USA vs Serbia Prediction & Picks

It’s entirely possible that Serbia could make things interesting. Beating a team twice in this setting isn’t an easy feat, and if Serbia can start better than they did against Australia, they aren’t to be counted out.

But based on what the USA has shown when it matters to this point, they aren’t losing today, nor are they coming close to doing so. They didn’t take Serbia lightly in the first game, and they won’t do that in this one either.

I’ll reiterate my position of not loving sizable spreads, but this is one that I do fancy. I think Serbia will have a better showing than in the first matchup, but the USA will be too much again and comfortably set up a golden opportunity against either the hosts or the current world champions.

USA vs Serbia Prediction: USA to win

USA vs Serbia Picks: 1) USA -15.5, 2) USA/Serbia over 188, 3) LeBron James over 7.5 assists (-110 at Bovada), 4) Anthony Edwards over 12.5 points (-115 at Bovada)

Other Olympic Men’s Basketball Betting Information

Where to Bet on USA vs Serbia & the Olympic Men’s Basketball Tournament

With NBA stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama taking part, the Olympic men’s basketball tournament is garnering a lot of betting interest from far and wide. Therefore, bettors have no shortage of options for where to bet on Olympic men’s basketball odds.

The odds in this piece come from BetOnline, which has a wealth of betting markets for this event and other Paris 2024 events. Whether you are looking to bet on one of the major events like the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments or you want Olympic breakdancing odds, weightlifting odds, or modern pentathlon odds, BetOnline has what you are looking for.

Including BetOnline, below are some of the sites that we recommend for betting on the Olympics.

Best Betting Sites for the Olympics

Are you unfamiliar with any of the sites listed? Check out our reviews for each site to learn more about them. Our sportsbook reviews cover available betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile betting, and bonuses and loyalty/VIP programs.

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