2024 Paris Olympics Basketball Odds, Picks: Best Bets for Team USA vs South Sudan

As the 2024 Paris Olympics roll on, all eyes in the Olympics men's basketball competition will turn to Anthony Davis and Team USA as South Sudan awaits in a 3 p.m. ET tipoff on Wednesday.

In the latest Olympics basketball odds, the USA is a 29.5-point favorite (-29.5) against South Sudan in this Olympics preliminary round matchup and a massive -10000 moneyline favorite, with South Sudan +2200 to pull off the monster upset. The total is set at over/under 192 points scored.

As we break down our Olympics basketball picks for today, our betting experts are on two player props for the USA Men's Basketball squad.

Let's get into what our experts have up their sleeves for the guys in their best bets for July 31.

Team USA Basketball Picks, Olympics Basketball Best Bets | Wednesday, July 31

By Joe Dellera

Anthony Davis is poised to have a huge impact against South Sudan on Wednesday.

AD has been instrumental to Team USA’s success even though he has played behind Joel Embiid.

AD has played about 19 minutes per game through his six international contests this year. He has exceeded this line of 18.5 PR in 3/6 including a 15 point and 11 rebound effort against this same South Sudan team on July 20th. He did this despite shooting just 4/12 from the field so we should expect greater efficiency.

South Sudan just allowed 13 points on a perfect 6/6 effort from George Conditt of Puerto Rico and this should be another game where AD can excel.

I like AD’s ceiling as a scoring threat but also the floor with upside from his rebounds. I’ll grab the combo prop here and play some double double (+400 Bet365) as well.

Pick: Anthony Davis Over 18.5 PR (Bet365)

By Joe Dellera

Tatum made headlines everywhere when he was a DNP-CD for Team USA’s first Olympic game against Serbia. Coach Kerr has expressed some reservations about that and indicated Tatum would play against South Sudan.

South Sudan is fast and athletic but they are not necessarily a big team. Brian Windhorst indicated that a rotation change may occur and Tatum’s minutes could come from Bam Adebayo.

“South Sudan's got a bunch of athletic wing players. Tatum's gonna be out there. They're gonna be switching all of those screens because they gotta play the perimeter, and there may be a guy like Bam Adebayo that gets benched…”

When Team USA played South Sudan in the preliminary games, Tatum scored 9 points in just 16 minutes. I expect him to be extra motivated in this spot and he should get a few looks considering the bad press and the blowout potential against South Sudan.

I’ll grab this alt but I’m looking for a traditional base line for Tatum and would consider SGP’ing it with some Bam unders, specifically points.

Pick: Jayson Tatum 10+ Points (+230) (DraftKings)

Previous Olympics Picks for Earlier Games on Wednesday, July 31

By Bryan Fonseca

Took this when it opened and like it just at 9.5.

Puerto Rico is fast, undersized team that can shoot the lights out. But they struggle on the glass and are, at times, able to mask those deficiencies with their perimeter shooting. It's how they took down European squads like Italy and Lithuania en route to qualifying here, and how they outscored South Sudan in the first half of their opener before the shooting fell off a cliff.

It gives Serbia and Nikola Jokic ample chances to be active on the glass.

This is a game Serbia needs, otherwise they could be facing elimination, so you're two desperate teams here. Serbia outrebounded Team USA 10-6 on the offensive glass, and while Jokic only had two of them and five total, this is obviously a MUCH friendlier match-up.

Jokic's five boards vs. Team USA isn't his international norm — he cleared 10 or more in four of six in 2022 EuroBasket against European squads with, generally, more size than Puerto Rico, who have one player above 6-foot-8.

George Conditt IV — that player, who is 6-foot-11 — has turned himself into a legitimately good pro center, but he'll face Jokic for the first time, and it might be a tough one.

Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 9.5 Rebounds (DraftKings)

By Bryan Fonseca

The only chance Puerto Rico has is hitting threes.

One of the only advantages they'll have against Serbia is their shooting, and another is the quickness of their backcourt against Serbia's perimeter defense, which isn't elite.

Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters combined for a 6-of-18 shooting display from deep against South Sudan, each making three threes.

Against Lithuania in Qualifiers, the win that put them here, Waters went 3-for-9 and Alvarado went 4-for-6.

Bet 365 has Alvarado at +100 and Waters at -105. I have no problem playing (and possibly parlaying) both. PR will have to make threes with volume to have a shot, which they did successfully in all of qualifiers and in the first half against South Sudan before Alvarado left with an ankle injury.

He returned to finish the game, but the team shot 1-for-16 from three in the second half after a 10-for-15 start. Uncharacteristic in totality, but expect the volume to repeat itself, maybe even elevate, out of necessity.

Pick: Tremont Waters Over 2.5 Threes | Jose Alvarado Over 2.5 Threes (Bet365)

By Joe Dellera

Nikola Jokic will lead Serbia in their game against Puerto Rico.

Jokic has historically had strong rebounding performances on the international stage. He has averaged 9.6 rebounds per game since 2022 but has recorded 10+ in 9/15.

Here, Puerto Rico has a very difficult task to contain Jokic, especially because Serbia lost by 26 to Team USA, they will be making a concerted effort to narrow that negative point differential.

I expect Jokic to grab at least 9 rebounds and would play 10+ (+120 Bet365) as well.

Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 8.5 Rebounds (DraftKings)