Team USA vs Brazil Pick, Prediction
The quarterfinal matchups are set for the Olympics, as the United States men's basketball team will go up against Brazil on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
There were four men's Olympics basketball games on the docket on Tuesday in the quarterfinals, but all eyes will be on Team USA, as they continue their hunt for a fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
In the latest Team USA vs Brazil odds, the United States is a 26.5-point favorite (-26.5) and -20000 on the moneyline. Brazil is a +3500 underdog to pull off the upset against Team USA. The total for Team USA vs Brazil is set at over/under 184.5 points scored by both teams combined. (All odds via DraftKings.)
From this point on, every game is the truest definition of must-win. Let's get to our men's Olympics basketball picks for this exciting matchup as we preview my Team USA vs Brazil pick.
USA Preview for USA vs Brazil Pick: United States Firing on All Cylinders
Team USA was by far the most dominant team in the group-play stage, winning all three of their games by double-digits. They lead the entire tournament in team points per game at 105.7. Serbia is second at 95.7 points per game.
Their first game against Nikola Jokic and Serbia was their most dominant performance, winning by 26 points. Kevin Durant shot an efficient 8/9 from the field and scored 23 points, with LeBron James adding with 21 points.
In the second game against South Sudan, Team USA had extra motivation against the team that was the closest to beating them in the showcase game, by dominating the game from start to finish, winning the game 103-86.
The third and final game was against Puerto Rico, where the team won by 21 points, led by Anthony Edwards who scored 26 points.
There's no doubt that Team USA is locked in. They aren't taking any of their opponents lightly, having a point-differential of +64 points, the highest in the group-phase. They made sure to remove any doubt with their final two showcase games, where they could have potentially lost both games had they not stayed focused. This is a big part of the reason that my Team USA vs Brazil prediction is for the US to take care of business in the first half.
Brazil Preview for USA vs Brazil Pick: Only One Shot For Brazil
Brazil started the first two games off a bit shaky.
In their first game against France, though it was a competitive and hard-fought game, France pulled away in the fourth quarter, beating Brazil 78-66.
The second game was against an impressive Germany team, who have played well throughout the tournament, and displayed that against Brazil, winning by 13 points with a 86-73 final.
The third game against Japan was a savior, as Brazil narrowly punched their ticket to the quarter-finals. They defeated the Japanese national team by 18 points, and finished with a point-differential of -7.
Bruno Caboclo had a dominant performance, scoring 33 points and 17 rebounds. Vitor Benite scored 19 points and made five 3-pointers.
As a team, Brazil ranks 10th in points at 80.3 per game. They lead the group-phase in 3-point percentage at 45.3 percent, but tied with Australia for taking the second fewest attempts at 75.
In order for Brazil to compete with the United States, they are going to have to be lethal from distance, similar to their game against Japan where they shot 17-for-28 from 3-point distance. That seems unlikely as I get to my Team USA-Brazil pick.
Team USA vs Brazil Pick: Take United States to Cover the First Half Spread
Team USA-Brazil Prediction
I believe Team USA will continue their trend of dominating in the first half. In the three group play games, they led at halftime by 9, 19, and 19 respectively. Starting off strong has been an important factor for the team.
Though Brazil has only trailed at halftime once during the group-phase, which they were only down by 3 against France, going up against a bigger Team USA team will be a tough challenge.
You have to be confident in the way that Team USA has been playing. With that said, I like the current DraftKings spread in the first half, where they have the United States at -15.5. With the gold medal being not far from reach, its safe to assume the team will further their play even more.
USA vs Brazil Pick: United States -15.5 in First Half (DraftKings)
