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Men's Olympics Basketball: USA vs. Australia Picks and Bets, Thursday August 5, 2021
Updated: | First published:
Written by Jason Bevilacqua, Head of Content and Communities
Despite the teething problems and shock losses, Team USA find themselves in prime position to advance to yet another gold medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. All that's standing in their way is a team that has been setting themselves for this exact game for years, in the form of Australia.
Today's picks and odds are proudly brought to you by PointsBet Sportsbook.
Here are our best picks for USA vs. Australia ⏬
BEST BET: Australia first half spread (+6.5) with PointsBet Sportsbook (-115)
The Americans have been relatively slow starters throughout this tournament. In three of the four games so far during the Olympics, they've found themselves still in a tussle at the half, despite starting each game as hefty double-digit favorites at the spread.
Team USA at halftime of games so far:
| VS. | MARGIN AT HALF |
| 🇫🇷 | Lead by 8 |
| 🇮🇷 | Lead by 30 |
| 🇨🇿 | Lead by 4 |
| 🇪🇸 | Tie |
Australia have been building towards this moment for a very long time. With their best chance to score a medal at an Olympics for the first time in history due to a squad stacked with NBA talent, the Boomers have known that they'll need to defeat the US to achieve their dream. While we do expect the class of America to prevail, the gritty Australian team will keep things close in the first half.
BET: Total points UNDER 179.5 with PointsBet Sportsbook(-105)
Both teams did a great job of locking down their opponents in the Quarterfinals with Australia restricting Argentina to 59 points while the US kept Spain down to 81 points - their equal lowest output for the tournament. Despite the flair of the players taking the court, we're not expecting this one to be easy on the eye for those that like high scoring basketball. There are some elite defenders on both sides and with a spot in the gold medal game up for grabs, nerves will be tense and points will be at a premium.
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Jason Bevilacqua, an expert in MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, and NFL, delivers game previews, best bets, and props. Since 2020, as Head of Social and Community at Dimers, he has contributed insightful articles utilizing data-driven models and simulations.
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