Group play continues with four men's basketball games on Friday. Two players I will be looking to back will be Leonardo Meindl and RJ Barrett.
Read further for my picks and predictions for Friday, August 2 Olympic Men's Basketball Player Props.
Leonardo Meindl Over 11.5 Points (-115) via bet365
5:00 a.m. ET | Peacock
Bruno Cabaclo's foul trouble also has opened up for more opportunities for Leonardo Meindl. The Brazilian forward is averaging 27 minutes and 12.5 field goal attempts per game. He hasn't been particularly efficient as he shot 5-for-13 against France and 2-for-12 against Germany, but he did clear this number with 14 points against France.
In addition to his performance against France, Meindl averaged 14 points per game for Brazil in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He is averaging 12.6 points per game in his last six games for Brazil.
Meindl will be looking to bounce back after scoring just six points against Germany while shooting 1-for-9 inside the arc. Against Japan, Meindl should have an easier time scoring in the paint against a smaller team in Japan.
Japan has also allowed 95.5 points through its first two games. Meindl has also made four 3s through Brazil's first two group games and a pair tonight would put him halfway towards this line. I am pivoting to bet365 for this line.
RJ Barrett Over 24.5 Points + Rebounds (+100) via BetMGM
11:15 a.m. ET | Peacock
After a trade to his hometown Toronto Raptors, RJ Barrett averaged 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 55% from the field. Now playing for Canada's national team, Barrett has continued his strong play despite playing with stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray. In Canada's first two group games, Barrett has scored 23 and 24 points.
Barrett has nearly cleared this line from his scoring and has been aggressive in doing so. In 29 minutes per game, he's shooting 59.2% from the field on 13.5 field goal attempts per game and has made 11-of-12 free throws in the last two games. He also scored 21 against France in a preliminary game.
Spain has struggled defending the paint as we had success backing Jock Landale last Saturday. Giannis Antetokounmpo also had 27 points and 11 rebounds against Spain on Tuesday. While Barrett doesn't venture to the post, this should benefit Barrett, a notable hard driver to the basket. While I do love this matchup for him, I am tacking on his rebounds just in case he has some shooting regression.
Barrett has had at least four rebounds in 11 of his last 13 games. In that span, he is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game. He's cleared this line in six of his last 11 international games and he can continue that trend with 20 points and five rebounds against Spain.
