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Edgar Chaput
Canada vs. Australia Prediction: Olympic Men’s Basketball Odds
Tuesday’s matchup in men’s basketball at the Paris Games will feature a pair of undefeated sides from Group A. Both Canada and Australia got by their initial opponents over the weekend. The Canadians narrowly handled Greece 86-79, whereas the Aussies, appropriately called the Boomers, blew out Spain 92-80.
As it stands, our Olympic basketball odds believe in Canada. They are -6.5 favourites to overcome Australia.
Canada vs. Australia Betting Odds
Unlike their first opponents in these Olympics, Greece, Canada has a lot of recent history with Australia. The countries crossed paths on the hardwood floor five times between 2018 and 2019 at various competitions, although Tuesday is their first tête-à-tête since. The boys from down under in fact captured four of those five meetings, including one at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
As for Olympic matchups, the Canadians lead the series 3-0. That said, this is the first tilt at the Games since 2000.
Canada was painstakingly close to covering the spread on Saturday. They held a 10-point advantage multiple times throughout the night but a blistering Greek comeback attempt in the fourth quarter narrowed it to a seven-point final score – Canada was a -7.5 favourite. It is important to keep in mind that point differential is a critical factor in deciding who makes it through the group stage should tiebreakers be necessary. It’s also useful info in case anyone thought RJ Barrett’s slam dunk in the closing seconds on Saturday was boastful. It wasn’t.
Canada
There wasn’t a lot to complain about regarding Canada’s tournament-opening victory on Saturday versus Greece. It was not a perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination, but there was a lot to appreciate and give supporters legitimate belief that the team can leave Paris with a medal.
Heading into the match the big question that gave fans a tizzy was what could the Canadians do to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo? The NBA All-Star finished with a game-high 34 points, doing what he does best. Because the Greek outfit is somewhat limited beyond him, that brilliant performance did not deter Canada. Barrett showed that he might be a more critical component to Canada’s success than foreseen. He finished with 23 points, was fantastic when driving in the key, and was a clean 6-for-6 from the line. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was right behind him with 21 points and seven helpers. This included a crucial layup with under a minute to go as Greece pressed to level the terms.
Rebounding was a collective effort, as Dillon Brooks has five, Dwight Powell four, Barrett four, Shai five, and Luguentz Dort four.
Australia
Australia is the basketball nation that most people overlook about but in truth is quite solid. They demonstrated that on Saturday by overcoming Spain with relative ease, 92-80.
If there is a duo that Canada needs to pay attention to, it’s Jock Landale and Josh Giddey. They had a superb rapport versus Spain when attacking the key. Landale finished with a team-high 20 points, bolstered by nine boards and five assists. Giddey had 17 points and eight boards. NBA veteran Patty Mills – 19 points – hit some huge threes down the stretch to preserve a precious Aussie lead. Australia looks like a team that loves to get close to the basket. Luckily for them, they have tough and silky-smooth players to cause significant damage in that area of the court. Canada must call on Dort and Brooks to be vigilant and smart (both fouled out versus Greece).