Brazil vs. Lithuania Betting Preview
Where: Carioca Arena 1 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When: Sunday, August 7, 2016, 1:15 PM EST
Line: Brazil (-2.5) vs. Lithuania (+2.5); total: 145.0 – view all men’s Olympic basketball lines
TV Broadcast: NBCSP
Writer’s Pick: Brazil (-2.5)
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Offensive Edge – Brazil (-2.5)
Surely, Huertas and Neto are going to be the key facilitators. Both guards can shoot the ball from the outside efficiently, but their incredible court vision and ability to find wide-open teammates is what Brazil fans can mostly expect from the two.
Speaking of which, the main beneficiaries of those passes will either be Barbosa or Nene. The former is without a doubt the best scorer and clutch shooter in the team. Barbosa holds career averages of 11.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 13 NBA seasons.
Nene, meanwhile, should still be effective in powering in some crucial buckets in the paint and on standing his ground against Lithuania’s big men, who are significantly taller and more offensively skilled than he is.
Brazil, which is priced at +350 to win Group B, also defeated the Lithuanians just a few days ago—on July 31 to be exact—in an exhibition matchup, 64-62. Hence, the crowd won’t be just on the host team’s side, but the momentum as well.
Defensive Edge – Lithuania (+2.5)
The Lithuanians are relatively bigger, faster, younger stronger and more athletic compared to Brazil’s experienced squad. They’re also known to be a team that prioritizes defense over scoring. And that said, there’s no question that they will have the upper hand on this side of the floor.
In particular, the pair of Jonas Valanciunas, who averaged 12.8 points and 9.1 rebounds with the Toronto Raptors last season, and the recently-drafted Domantas Sabonis already poses a serious problem for many opponents. Both stand at 7-feet and their intimidating size alone should make it extremely difficult for any player to score inside, or to even think of attacking the middle.
Lithuania’s bound to force a lot more three-pointers, outside jumpers and even turnovers, which should definitely work to their advantage. The Lithuanians are also prized at +475 to finish atop of Group B.
Writer’s Prediction: The Lithuanians (+2.5) stun Brazil with an entertaining 76-70 victory.
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