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Spain vs Greece Olympic Men’s Basketball Prediction & Picks: Who Will Bounce Back in Group A?

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Spain vs Greece Olympic Men's Basketball Prediction & Picks cover Giannis Antetokounmpo

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Tuesday’s Olympic men’s basketball tournament action will start with a big matchup in Group A, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece will take on Spain in a must-win game for both teams (5:00 pm ET, E!).

It’s a must-win game for both teams after they opened the tournament with a loss on Saturday.

Against Australia, Spain led only once but pulled within four in the fourth quarter before the Boomers pulled away for a 92-80 win.

Greece never led against Canada, but after trailing 80-68 with just over three minutes remaining, they staged a furious late rally and pulled within two in the final minute on a Giannis dunk. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came up with a huge basket on the following possession, and Canada went on to close out an 86-79 win.

Because two of three third-place teams will qualify for the quarterfinals, the loser of this game isn’t automatically eliminated. But the winner will be in a solid position heading into Friday, when Group A action wraps up with Australia facing Greece and Canada meeting Spain.

How will things shake out in Tuesday’s opening encounter? Read on for a Spain vs Greece prediction, as well as a couple of betting picks for the matchup.

Spain vs Greece Odds

Spread

Spain +4 (-115)
Greece -4 (-105)

Over/Under

Over 163 (-110)
Under 163 (-110)

Moneyline

Spain +165
Greece -190

See more Spain vs Greece odds at BetOnline. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a bonus to bet on this blockbuster Olympic women’s basketball tournament matchup.

Spain vs Greece Betting Analysis

Given Spain’s success on international level with a variety of personnel over the last couple of decades, is it still a bit premature to write them off?

It might well be, but they struggled mightily to keep up with Australia.

Part of that is down to the quality of the opposition. Australia came into the Olympic men’s basketball tournament with the seventh-best gold medal odds, one spot ahead of Spain, but they might be better than oddsmakers expected.

However, Spain was also simply not good enough. The only time they led was when a 9-0 run in the third quarter gave them a brief 56-54 lead. That lead was immediately erased, as a Patty Mills three on the next possession kickstarted a 17-4 run for Australia. That was ultimately the story of the game. Every time Spain attempted to get back into the game, Australia delivered a resounding response.

Are they going to have an easier time of it against Greece? Greece entered the Olympics with better gold-medal and group winner odds than Australia, and while they were outclassed by Canada on Saturday, they put in a more competitive performance against one of the top gold medal contenders than Spain did against Australia.

NBA fans will be a bit more familiar with more of Spain’s squad than Greece’s, but Greece’s squad has something that Spain’s does not.

That would be Giannis, who had 34 points against Canada and will be central to Greece’s hopes of picking up an important win.

International basketball is obviously much different than the NBA, but Giannis is Giannis at any level, and he is quite the ace to have up your sleeve whether you’re Doc Rivers or Vassilis Spanoulis.

Spain vs Greece Prediction & Picks

In the last ten head-to-head meetings, Spain has had a significant upper hand, winning eight times.

Most recently, the two teams met twice in friendly action prior to Eurobasket 2022, with Greece winning 86-70 in Athens and Spain winning 87-80 in Madrid two days later.

Greece was one of the favorites to win Eurobasket 2022 but suffered an upset loss to Germany in the quarterfinals, while Spain defied expectations to win the tournament, reeling off six consecutive wins after a group stage loss to Belgium.

Spain’s core remains intact, which is part of why it’s hard to write them off. They have defied the odds before and can certainly do it again.

However, I feel a bit more positive about Greece than I do about Spain after Saturday’s games. Also, results have been outstanding for chalk thus far in the tournament. The favored team came out on top in all six games on Saturday and Sunday, and the winner covered the spread in every game but Canada’s win over Greece.

That may not persist for the entire tournament, but I do think it will through today at least (which is a bit of a spoiler for my upcoming Canada-Australia preview).

Will the first half be the highest-scoring half for the seventh straight game to begin the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.

It is tempting to go that route (-131 at Bovada), but I’m going to hold off because I’m happy with the below trio of selections that I am locking in and recommending. That includes the over on Giannis’s points prop, as I expect him to have a big game in a big win for Greece.

Spain vs Greece Prediction: Greece to win

Spain vs Greece Picks: 1) Greece -4, 2) Spain/Greece over 163, 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo over 29.5 points (-110 at Bovada)

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Other Olympic Men’s Basketball Betting Information

Where to Bet on Spain vs Greece & the Olympic Men’s Basketball Tournament

With the likes of LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama taking part, the Olympic men’s basketball tournament will garner a lot of betting interest from far and wide. Therefore, bettors will not be lacking in options for where to bet on Olympic men’s basketball tournament odds.

The odds in this piece come from BetOnline, which has a wealth of betting markets for this event and other Paris 2024 events.

Including BetOnline, below are some of the sites that we recommend for betting on the Olympics.

Best Betting Sites for the Olympics

Are you unfamiliar with any of the sites listed? Check out our reviews for each site to learn more about them. Our reviews cover available betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile betting, and bonuses and loyalty/VIP programs.

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