USA and Serbia will face off for the second time in the Olympics, with the Americans taking a 110-84 victory in the group stage. The Americans were lights out from the field, shooting 62.3% from the floor and 56.3% from three. Lebron James led the way for the USA, recording 21 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. It is time to continue our Olympics Men’s Basketball odds series with a USA-Serbia semifinal prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Here are the 2024 Olympics Men’s/Women’s basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
2024 Olympics Odds: USA-Serbia Basketball Odds
USA: -17 (-110)
Moneyline: -2000
Serbia: +17 (-110)
Moneyline: +920
Over: 186.5 (-110)
Under: 186.5 (-110)
How to Watch USA vs. Serbia in Paris
Time: 3:00 PM ET/noon PT
TV: NBC
Stream: (Click Here for Free Trial)
Why USA Will Cover the Spread/Win
The USA has been flawless in pre-tournament and Olympic games since coming together. However, their performance at the Olympics has been incredible. They started the tournament with a win over Serbia, then beat South Sudan by 17 points and Puerto Rico by 21. They may not have dominated like they would have liked, but they corrected that by beating Brazil 122-87 in the quarterfinals. Steve Kerr was tinkering with the lineups for most of the early tournament, but it’s all systems go now for the Americans.
The USA looks unstoppable, and their quarterfinal game against Brazil was no contest. They are averaging 109.8 points per game and shooting 44% from three-point. If they continue scoring at this pace, it’s hard to see the Serbians covering this spread. Serbia is averaging just 95.5 points per game on 50.9 % shooting. The Americans will play the best defense they’ve seen since the group-stage matchup and will hold Serbia to fewer than 95.5 points.
The Americans outscored Serbia by 26 points in the nine minutes Jokic sat on the bench. Serbia could try to play Jokic for the entire game, but the stamina will likely catch up to the big man.
Why Serbia Will Cover the Spread/Win
Serbia has momentum after their monumental comeback over Australia, but any other team in this tournament is searching for reasons to believe they can beat the Americans.
The Serbians are no slouches regarding international basketball, as they won last year’s FIBA World Cup without Jokic on the roster. However, if the Serbians want to pull off the upset in this game, they’ll need a legendary performance from the former NBA MVP. Jokic played 31 minutes in Serbia’s loss to the Americans in the group stage, and the teams played to a tie in his minutes.
Jokic leads Serbia, averaging 19.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. It’s hard to believe the big man could play all 40 minutes, but it may be their best chance to keep it close. The line adjusted to the possibility of Jokic playing more minutes in this game, but can he keep the score even again in this matchup?
Final USA-Serbia Prediction & Pick
The Americans allowed Jokic to keep the game close when he was on the floor in the group stage, and they were still trying to figure out rotations and strategy. The USA showed against Brazil that they are full steam ahead for the rest of this tournament and may not let anyone stand in their way. Serbia believes they can keep this game close, but the line still feels low, and we’ll have to retake the USA in the semi-finals.
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Final USA-Serbia Prediction & Pick: USA -17 (-110)
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