Team USA is heavily favoured to move past Serbia in the Olympic men's basketball semifinal.
The pregame narrative: Anthony Davis has been doing everything for Steve Kerr and the Americans. I expect him to have a big game against a familiar foe in Nikola Jokic. Also, Kevin Durant is worth fading from beyond the arc.
Check out our USA vs. Serbia props for the Olympic men's basketball semifinal match on Aug. 8.
USA vs. Serbia props
Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.
| USA vs. Serbia props | Odds | Bet now ⬇️ |
| Davis over 10.5 points | -112 | Add to betslip |
| Durant over 2.5 threes | -139 | Add to betslip |
Go to full USA/Serbia betting markets
Best Bet: Davis over 10.5 points (-112)
Davis is all too familiar with Jokic as the Denver Nuggets have eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in each of the past two postseasons.
But The Brow was a monster in those series, averaging 27.8 points and 15.6 rebounds this year and 26.8 points and 14.0 rebounds last year.
Obviously, I don't expect those numbers to be replicated on Tuesday.
Davis was playing north of 40 minutes a night for L.A. and is getting less than half of that for the Olympic team.
But he's been efficient while on the court (9.5 PPG, 57.7 FG%) and Kerr should be encouraged by his success against the reigning MVP.
Joel Embiid is also reportedly dealing with ankle soreness. That could limit the centre's playing time assuming Kerr doesn't straight-up bench him again (he was scratched vs. South Soudan and played only 11 minutes vs. Serbia in the group stage).
Joel Embiid Dealing With Ankle Soreness https://t.co/Ux9Ij99XyU
— RealGM (@RealGM) August 7, 2024
Davis has been Kerr's best option at the No. 5 so far and brings a different level of defensive intensity to the table.
I can see him getting a longer leash now that the USA is into the knockout round.
Key stat: Davis shot 63.4% against the Nuggets in the playoffs this year.
Other picks
Durant under 2.5 threes (-139): Durant isn't a big 3-point shooter even though he's capable of making it rain from deep.
The four-time scoring champion has only averaged north of 2.5 threes once in his 17-year career and does most of his damage carving up the midrange.
Sure, he went 5-for-5 against Serbia in group play but I don't expect that to be replicated.
Durant is a 38.7% career 3-point shooter and went 41.3% from there last season. Even with the arc slightly closer to the basket, he's more likely to fall under this line while attempting around five 3-pointers per game.
He went 0-for-2 from deep against Brazil in the quarterfinal and is averaging less than 20 minutes of playing time per game.
There's some juice to contend with here but I'm happy to fade KD at this number.
Picks made at 3:00 p.m. ET on 08/07/2024.
