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The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, run through Aug. 11 in Paris, France. We’ll review the best bets for Saturday. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines for the best bets and prop plays for Saturday’s Olympic action, and make our expert Summer Olympic picks and predictions.
Each day we’ll check out the best bets, as well as the top prop plays when applicable.
Saturday, we have plenty of action in the men’s basketball tournament to keep our focus. But that’s not all. You know you want to bet some handball, and what better way to get your feet wet than some Olympic action on Day 1?
In fact, the schedule is full of events, starting with badminton, as well as men’s handball, men’s and women’s rowing, shooting, men’s volleyball, equestrian, women’s fencing, men’s field hockey, judo, men’s artistic gymnastics, women’s synchronized diving, women’s swimming, men’s skateboarding, men’s beach volleyball, women’s cycling, women’s water polo, men’s rugby, men’s canoe slalom, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s table tennis, tennis and much, much more.
Saturday’s 2024 Olympics best bets
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 9 p.m. ET.
Men’s handball: EGYPT -1.5 (-106) vs. Hungary
The men’s handball event gets underway Saturday. Egypt and Hungary face off at 5 a.m. ET (Peacock, NBCOlympics.com).
Egypt hosted the 2024 African Championship Jan. 17-27 in Cairo, and it dominated Group A play with a plus-52 goal differential. Groupmates Cameron, Congo and Guinea never stood a chance against the host nation.
Egypt features a solid lineup with players like Yehya Khaled, Yehya El-Deraa, Ahmed Hesham and Ali Zein.
Egypt rolled past Angola in the quarterfinals 37-25 while the Egyptians dominated with 67% wing shots to just 33% for the Angolans. Egypt was deadly on the 7mm shots, too, cashing in at a 100% clip.
Egypt eased past Tunisia 30-25 in a semifinal before taking care of Algeria 29-21 in the final. Again, Egypt was a perfect 100% on 7mm shots.
In the 2024 Olympics qualification tournament, Hungary took advantage of its status as host, placing 2nd in the standings behind Norway in group play. Looking at common opponents, Hungary took down Tunisia 33-24 in March,
The Hungarians lost to Norway 29-25, but topped Portugal 30-27 to qualify at Tatabanyai Multifunkcionalis Sportcsarnok in Tatabanya. Hungary’s Bence Imre registered 9 goals against Portugal and is the player to watch.
Let’s BACK EGYPT -1.5 (-106) to get the job done Saturday by at least 2 goals as it has a little more depth.
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Men’s basketball: Japan vs. Germany OVER 178 (-110)
Japan and Germany tip off at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday in Group B play at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France. The game can be viewed on Peacock, USA Network and NBCOlympics.com.
Don’t sleep on Germany, the 2023 World Cup champions. The Germans gets Brazil, Japan and the host nation in France in Group B play. More importantly, it avoids Team USA, at least for now.
Germany should have a tremendous size advantage over Japan in this clash. In a tune-up game Monday, the Germans gave the Americans all they could handle, falling just 92-88 in a high-scoring affair.
Germany had 5 players go for 12 or more points, with Dennis Schroder (Brooklyn Nets) posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic) managed 12 points and 7 rebounds in just 14 minutes. The roster is littered with NBA or NBA-caliber players, while Japan has just Rui Hachimura (Los Angeles Lakers) and rookie Keisei Tominaga (undrafted out of Nebraska, signed with Indiana Pacers) among its NBA players.
The Japanese should be overmatched and undersized, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Germans hit triple digits. OVER 178 (-110) is a strong play in this one.
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Men’s soccer (3-way handicap — regular time):
ARGENTINA -1 (+100) vs. Iraq
– Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook.
This match is set for a 9 a.m. ET start (Peacock, NBCOlympics.com).
Argentina’s U23 soccer team got off to a dreadful start this week, falling 2-1 to a talented Morocco side Wednesday in Group B play. La Albiceleste had a last-minute equalizer disallowed after an hour delay.
It appeared Argentina had the game-leveling goal at 106′, courtesy of Cristian Medina’s boot. However, a VAR (video assistant referee) check ruling wiped out the goal, giving Morocco the wild, unbelievable victory.
Argentina had a 53%-to-47% possession advantage, but Morocco did draw 2 more corners, while taking more shots.
Argentina should take it out on Iraq Saturday as it desperately fights to get out of this strange hole it’s in, and into the knockout stages.
Iraq spoiled the day for Ukraine, winning 2-1 in an opening match despite taking just 2 total shots. Ukraine dominated in possession 55% to 45%, but Iraq found a way. It won’t be as fortunate against Argentina.
Check out Pro Soccer Wire: For the American soccer fan, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s website provides a fresh look at the beautiful game.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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More USA TODAY Summer Olympics coverage:
News | Medal count | Meet Team USA
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