The 2024 Summer Olympics are here and some big men's basketball matchups are coming this weekend.
The pregame narrative: Canada takes on Greece this Saturday and I'm backing the two superstars — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo — to hit the over on their point total. I also have an RJ Barrett play.
Check out the best Canada vs. Greece basketball picks for July 27.
Canada vs. Greece basketball picks
| Picks | Odds | Bet now ⬇️ |
| Gilgeous-Alexander over 22.5 points | -141 | Add to betslip |
| Antetokounmpo over 23.5 points | -143 | Add to betslip |
Go to full Olympics men's basketball betting markets.
Best Bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 22.5 points (-141)
The focal point for the Canadians will be NBA MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is coming off a fantastic season where he averaged north of 30 points for the second straight campaign.
He has carried that momentum into Canada's friendlies where in limited minutes he has produced. In the only game he played over 24 minutes, he hit this over.
Throughout the Canadians' tune-up games, the Hamilton, Ontario, native has been the No. 1 option. There could be a concern about how many touches Jamal Murray will take from Gilgeous-Alexander, but so far it hasn't been an issue.
The matchup appears to suit Gilgeous-Alexander well, too.
Greece allowed opposing ball handlers to get to the middle of the floor during its qualification tournament matches and recent friendlies. That's something Gilgeous-Alexander does extremely well and could really benefit from.
Key stat: Gilgeous-Alexander was fourth in the NBA in scoring last season.
Quick picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo over 23.5 points (-143): Greece only has one NBA player and I'm betting on him to get a bunch of points.
On one hand, being the only NBAer on the team — and an elite one at that — means Antetokounmpo will have the ball in his hands a majority of the time. On the other hand, it also means a lot of Canada's defensive attention will be focused on Antetokounmpo.
Even with the recognition the Milwaukee Bucks star will be getting, Canada lacks the size to realistically contest a lot of his shots.
Dwight Powell, 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, provides the biggest interior resistance to Antetokounmpo, but he doesn't have the movement skills to guard him out on the perimeter.
Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort can provide strong defence out in space, but Antetokounmpo could prove to be too big for them in the interior.
There are a ton of defensive questions for Canada when it comes to defending Giannis, who averaged north of 30 points per game for the second consecutive season.
RJ Barrett over 1.5 threes (+100): I'm backing the Toronto Raptor to cash in from downtown.
Barrett typically likes to play with the ball hands, but on a team with a star-studded backcourt in Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray, Barrett is forced to be the third banana.
This has opened up Barrett for a lot more catch-and-shoot opportunities throughout friendlies, and he's been making them count.
Across Canada's games against the USA, France, and Puerto Rico, Barrett hit 54.5% of his 3.6 long bombs per game, covering this total in two of them.
