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Edgar Chaput
Canada vs. Spain Prediction: Olympic Men’s Basketball Odds
The 2024 Olympics have so far been very good for the Canadians. Jordi Hernandez’s men are 2-0 and, courtesy of other results on Tuesday, have secured passage to the tournament’s quarter-final stage. They most recently downed Australia 93-83 thanks to an excellent second-half performance. Friday’s opponent Spain has all the play for. After their initial defeat to Australia, they bounced back by besting Greece 84-74. There are no two ways about it: this will be a desperate Spanish squad.
Our Olympic basketball odds see Canada as a heavy -9.5 favourite in this game.
Canada vs. Spain Betting Odds
These countries have already battled three times in Olympic competitions. Spain took the first two in 1984 and 1988, only for Canada to level the terms in 1988 (in a game to settle rankings) and 2000. There have also been a trio of tête-à-têtes since 2010, with the Canadians taking two of those games, including the September 2023 FIBA World Cup victory that punched their ticket to the Paris Games.
Canada is now 1-1 ATS in this tournament. They were -6.5 favourites to take out Australia, and although it looked dicey for a while, they eventually won by 10 points.
As it turns out, the Spaniards are also 1-1 ATS in this competition. They were trounced by Australia in the opening salvo, unable to handle the +4.5 spread. Spain made up for it by defeating Greece in the second contest despite being underdogs.
Canada
Group A’s match between Canada and Australia was arguably one of the most entertaining games of the competition. It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that the Canadians pulled away with some defensive stops and key baskets for the 93-83 win.
The Aussies gave Canada all they could handle, especially in the first half, which the Boomers led 49-45. Rebounding continues to be a bit of an issue for Canada, who lost the battle against the glass 37-33. On the flip side, as the game wore on, Canada was much more careful with the ball and stingier on defence, causing 18 Australian turnovers.
RJ Barrett was once again a force to be reckoned with, netting 24 points off 8-for-14 shooting, with both Dillon Brooks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallying 16 points. Dwight Powell made his paint presence felt with nine boards. This team is playing so well at the moment, it almost feels as if they hardly need NBA superstar Jamal Murray to perform at a high level (five points as a sub off 2-for-7 shooting. Five helpers though).
Spain
Canada might not be out of the woods just yet. Winning Group A can be beneficial but that will be difficult if Spain plays as it did versus Greece in its sophomore Olympic battle.
Facing an equally desperate Greek side led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Spain started the match slowly and found themselves down early. Everything changed in the second quarter, which Spain easily conquered 28-13. They helped themselves tremendously with solid shooting from beyond the arc – they went 48.4 per cent for the game. Paint defence played a large role in turning the tide, especially given that Greece only took five shots from the free throw line.
Santi Aldama was all over the place, netting 18 points, grabbing a dozen rebounds, and blocking a trio of shots. Bench contributions were significant as well, most notably from Sergio Llull (13 points) and Rudy Fernandez (10 points). Make the final a convincing 84-77 win for Spain.
