The United States men’s basketball team’s Olympic journey officially gets underway on Sunday, July 28 when it takes on Serbia in Group C Play.
After a few close games in exhibitions leading up to the Olympics, the US is looking to find another gear against Nikola Jokic and company – one of the leading candidates to win the gold if the United States stumbles.
Team USA has taken home the gold in four straight Olympics, and it would love to roll through Group Play against Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico. Serbia may be the toughest test, but the Americans are still double-digit favorites.
Here’s a look at the odds, rosters and a prediction for Sunday’s matchup.
USA vs. Serbia Odds, Spread and Total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
- USA -14.5 (-110)
- Serbia +14.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- USA: -1200
- Serbia: +750
Total
- 181 (Over -110/Under -110)
USA vs. Serbia How to Watch
- Date: Sunday, July 28
- Time: 11:15 a.m. EST
- How to Watch (TV): NBC, FuboTV, Peacock
- USA record: 0-0
- Serbia record: 0-0
USA vs. Serbia Odds to Win Gold Medal
- USA: -500
- Serbia: +1600
USA vs. Serbia Rosters and Key Players to Watch
USA
- LeBron James
- Stephen Curry
- Kevin Durant
- Joel Embiid
- Devin Booker
- Jayson Tatum
- Anthony Davis
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Anthony Edwards
- Jrue Holiday
- Bam Adebayo
- Derrick White
Even at 39 years old, LeBron James has shown in the clutch moments over the last two exhibition games that he can still be the best player in the world.
Team USA is loaded with All-Star talent, and its bench would likely be the No. 2 team in the world. The key will be chemistry, as these players have not spent as much time together as some other countries.
Ultimately, the talent should win out, but Team USA has shown it is prone to some scares in its pre-Olympic matchups.
Serbia
- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Nikola Jokic
- Nikola Milutinov
- Vasilije Micic
- Nikola Jovic
- Ognjen Dobric
- Vanja Marinkovic
- Marko Guduric
- Filip Petrusev
- Aleksa Avramovic
- Dejan Davidovac
- Uros Plavsic
Nikola Jokic headlines a Serbian team that has some solid talent, including Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Jokic could be a matchup nightmare for the United States if he can get some of the bigs in foul trouble, and it’s possible Steve Kerr could look to close games with defensive stars like Anthony Davis or Bam Adebayo to try to neutralize the three-time NBA MVP.
USA vs. Serbia Prediction and Pick
Look, I’d take Team USA over the field to win the gold, but this is a massive spread for the opening game of the Olympics, especially with how poorly the Americans played in their final two exhibition matchups.
Team USA is still trying to find chemistry together, and we’ve yet to see Kevin Durant (calf strain) play in a game this summer.
The United States needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Germany and nearly lost to South Sudan (it won by one) as a 43.5-point favorite. So, the idea of laying 14.5 points against any team is a little hard to get behind.
Serbia, on the other hand, is coming off a commanding 20-point exhibition win over Greece, and it has arguably the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic.
Now, the United States did have a 26-point exhibition win over Serbia, but Bogdan Bogdanovic – one of Serbia’s best players – did not play in that game, and Jokic only played 28 minutes.
While I do think the USA finds a groove at some point in the Olympics, I need to see a heightened sense of urgency for expecting a blowout.
Pick: Serbia +14.5 (-110)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USA vs. Serbia Olympic Basketball Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Group C.
