The quarterfinals of the Summer Olympics Men’s Basketball Tournament are here. USA and Spain play the second game of the four taking place overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. Tip-off will be at 12:40 a.m. ET at Saitama Super Arena. Below, we preview the USA vs. Spain odds and lines, and make our best Summer Olympics bets, picks and predictions.
Team USA got off to a nightmarish start in the tournament with an 83-76 loss to France but won its final two games of the group stage to advance to the quarterfinals. USA beat Iran 120-66 and the Czech Republic 119-84.
The script was flipped for Spain. It beat Japan 88-77 and Argentina 81-71 before a 95-87 loss to Slovenia Sunday.
USA and Spain finished second in Group A and C, respectively. The two countries are first and second, respectively, in the FIBA world rankings.
USA vs. Spain: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Money line: USA -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100) | Spain +550 (bet $100 to win $550)
- Against the spread/ATS: USA -11.5 (-135) | Spain +11.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 180.5 (O: -115| U: -115)
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USA vs. Spain: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
USA 96, Spain 81
Money line (ML)
USA (-1000) reestablished itself as the best team in this tournament after its ugly start against France. Spain, led by NBA players PG Ricky Rubio, C Marc Gasol and PF Pau Gasol, started well but came up short in its toughest test of the tournament against Slovenia.
PASS on the chalky money line price and turn to the spread for proper value on the Americans.
Against the spread (ATS)
USA -11.5 (-135) is still a pricey play when needing to win by 12 or more points but it’s the top play for a winner. Rubio had his worst scoring performance of the tournament against PG Luka Doncic and Slovenia, and the Americans have the guard play to contain him again.
Team USA won back-to-back games by 54 and 35 points. The level of competition increases greatly in the quarterfinals against Spain but there’s quite a bit of room for error with the conservative line.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 180.5 (-115) if the play on the total. USA easily topped 100 points in each of its last two games, but Spain brings much better team defense to the table than either Iran or the Czech Republic. The Americans were held to just 76 points against the quality French side.
Spain has been relying heavily on defense, as it scored fewer than 90 points in all three games and held the opposition below 80 points in each of its two wins.
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