Top Basketball Pick: USA -15.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The top sportsbooks have released their odds for Sunday’s Olympics action.
This will be the final day of Olympics competition, so you’ll want to be extra sure to get involved in the action, as there won’t be another Olympics for four years.
For Sunday’s best bets, three games, from two different sports interest me as worth investing in: France vs. USA in women’s basketball, and Spain vs. Slovenia and Germany vs. Denmark in handball.
France vs. USA (Women’s Basketball)
Sunday, August 11, 2024 – 09:30 AM ET at Bercy Arena
The Situation
Both the Americans and the French played in the semifinals on Friday, August 9. These games were obviously recent, so we should consider how they went, and which team might derive an advantage or suffer a disadvantage from them.
With consideration to how well or poorly each team is rested for Sunday’s match, it is the Americans who emerged from Friday’s competition with a significant situational advantage. This is because they had it much easier than the French.
France was down by as many as 15 points in the third quarter in that semifinal game against Belgium. It had to claw its way back to tie the game in the fourth quarter. The game then went into overtime, where France had to play extra time. The French triumphed in overtime.
Conversely, the Americans had nearly no problem blowing out the Australians. The game was quickly decided by the second half.
The Americans’ Advantage
It is really hard in basketball in general to come back from a big deficit. Doing this takes a lot of energy. Plus, overtime requires more energy, energy that the Americans did not have to expend as they were able to easily conclude their game in four quarters.
Oddsmakers don’t account for this sort of situational disparity when they make their odds.
So, we have a reason here to invest in the Americans to cover. They will play Sunday’s finale as the more well-rested team.
Moreover, situationally, they are proven and experienced winners at the international level. They’ve won the last seven gold medals at the Olympics. They know how to win, so they’ll be composed and ready, in addition to being well-rested.
France’s Style
To dig into the matchup, it is clear from watching France play and from looking at their box scores and by studying in general how they try to win games, that France primarily wants to score inside.
The French want to rely on their prowess inside for points, rebounding, and shot-blocking. They lean on their centers, their biggest players, to power them forward.
American Power
But Team USA has the most physically talented forwards and centers in the world.
These are high-level WNBA stars, women like A’ja Wilson who is a multi-time Defensive Player of the Year in the best domestic league on the planet. She is a terrific shot-blocker, in addition to being a reliable scorer inside. Women like her help the Americans own edges in inside scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking.
The strength of the French is, in sum, going to be completely nullified by USA’s physical talent, which is of course also spearheaded by more than just Wilson.
The Americans also have the best three-point shooting, and their last game, a 21-point win over a rather big Australian team, shows their good form in general and their comfort against teams that want to bully their opponents.
Basketball Pick: USA -15.5 (-110) at BetOnline
Slovenia vs. Spain (Handball)
Sunday, August 11, 2024 – 03:00 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Head-to-Head
Spain owns Slovenia, and the head-to-head history between these teams proves it.
The Spaniards enter Sunday’s match having won their last three games against Slovenia. This trend goes back to 2023 – the Spaniards had not competed against Slovenia before then since 2020.
In 2023, Spain beat Slovenia by five. In 2024, Spain won by ten and, most recently, by three.
The most recent, three-point win was particularly telling because of how bad Spain was for so much of the match.
Despite playing terribly for significant stretches of time in the game, Spain was able to beat Slovenia by multiple points.
Spain is, for the above reasons, a great money-line pick at what is a fantastic price.
Handball Pick: Spain ML (-130) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Denmark vs. Germany (Handball)
Sunday, August 11, 2024 – 07:30 AM ET at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Denmark Is The Best
There is no doubt that Denmark is the best team. The Danes are three-time world champions.
They’ve only really been challenged by France in recent international play that preceded the Olympics. In these Olympics, they’ve also shown to be a much stronger side than France.
Head-to-Head
Recent head-to-head history exhibits Denmark’s dominance over Germany.
Since 2023, these teams have played three times. Denmark won by eight, by seven, and by three, respectively. The Danes won only by three in their most recent game because it took place on German soil. So Germany had home advantage.
Situational Spot
Denmark was winning its last game by a strong margin, but then the Danes played terribly and allowed Slovenia to make the game very close.
Their head coach was very angry with them.
So, expect Denmark to enter Sunday’s game with extra focus and motivation.
Handball Pick: Denmark -3.5 (-115) at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
