Greece vs Australia Predictions & Odds – Olympic Basketball (Aug 2)

• Greece and Australia meet in the final game of Group A action at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday.
• Greece (0-2 in Group A) needs a win over Australia (1-1) to keep its hopes of advancing to the knockout round of the tournament alive.
• Keep reading below for our favorite picks from Friday’s exciting Olympic showdown.

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads his Greek squad into what could be its final game at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s a must-win matchup for the Greeks, who have yet to win in Group A play. Australia will likely advance to the next round with a win, so the pressure is on. The game is set to tip off at 7:30 a.m. ET and can be seen on the Peacock app.

Greece vs Australia Picks

• Greece +5.5 (-110)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo 30+ points (+120)

Don’t expect Greece to go down without a fight. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only NBA player on Greek side, so he’s going to have to play like a superhero if Greece is going to have a chance to pull off the upset. The Australians don’t have a ton of top-end NBA talent, led by guys like Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Josh Giddey, but almost the entire roster is currently in the league.

That’ll make life difficult for Giannis and company, but this is a Greek side that has already flirted with upsets in Group A action. Greece gave group leader Canada a scare in the opener, falling 86-79 and outscoring the Canadians by 3 points in the second half.

Australia winning and covering the spread seems like a tough task when the Greeks have far and away the best player in this game (and quite possibly the group, depending on how you feel about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada), so I’ll take Greece to cover at -110 odds on BetMGM.

Antetokounmpo scored 34 points against Canada, so we know he’s capable of massive scoring outputs. Heck, anyone who has watched him over the last several years with the Milwaukee Bucks knows what he can do with the ball in his hands. The Greeks will turn to their leader early and often in this contest, so taking Giannis to score 30+ points at +120 odds via BetMGM is a play I’m willing to make.

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Greece vs Australia Odds

Odds via BetMGM as of Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. Sign up for BetMGM today using promo code DIME1500 and get a $1,500 first-bet offer from the King of Sportsbooks.

As I detailed above, I like Greece to at least cover in this game. They’ve been a tough out so far in this tournament, and I expect them to finish Group A action by giving it all they’ve got. Will that be enough to win? Maybe not, but a close game in the fourth quarter seems likely. The Greeks are +175 on the moneyline, compared to -225 for the Aussies, so there’s value available if you think Giannis and company can pull off the upset and win outright. The over/under for this game is set at 167.5 points. There’s slightly more juice on the over at -120, with the under sporting -105 odds.

Greece vs Australia Olympic Performances

Australia is 1-1 entering the third game of group play on Friday, having taken down Spain and lost to group leader Canada.

Here’s a look at the Aussies’ results so far, including the team’s leading scorer in each game:

• Australia 92, Spain 80 (Jock Landale — 20 points)
• Canada 93, Australia 83 (Josh Giddey — 19 points)

And here’s a look at Greece’s results through 2 games. The Greeks are 0-2, but have played some tight games thus far in Paris:

• Canada 86, Greece 79 (Giannis Antetokounmpo — 34 points)
• Spain 84, Greece 77 (Giannis Antetokounmpo — 27 points)

Which players will step up on Friday in Paris?