France vs. China – Rio 2016 Olympics Men’s Basketball – Group A Predictions and Betting Preview – August 8, 2016

France vs. China Men’s Basketball Preview

Where: Carioca Arena 1 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When: Monday, August 8, 9:30 PM ET

Line: France (-24.5) vs. China (+24.5); total 149.0 – view all men’s Olympic basketball lines

TV Broadcast: NBCOlympics.com

Writer’s Pick: France to cover (-24.5)

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Offensive Edge – France (-24.5)

France’s offensive performance in its shock 88-67 loss against Australia was very disappointing. The French shot just 42 percent from the field, and turned the ball over 17 times. Tony Parker (18 points, 6-of-14 FGs) hardly had any help from his teammates. Boris Diaw finished with just nine points in 31 minutes, while Nicolas Batum and Nando De Colo combined for just 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

The French are much, much better than that performance suggests, though. Expect a bounce-back effort from the French against China, particularly from the wing pairing of Batum and De Colo. The Chinese don’t really have anyone who can capably match up with them on the perimeter, so they should be able to up their production significantly.

Speaking of getting no help, Yi Jianlian was a one-man offense for China in its 57-point drubbing against the USA. The former NBA star led the way with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting; only one other Chinese player scored at least seven points. The suffocating U.S. defense had a lot to do with China’s offensive struggles, but guard play still remains a major issue for the Chinese. Don’t be surprised to see another heavy dose of Yi against the French.

Defensive Edge – France (-24.5)

Defense was supposedly France’s big strength, with shot-blocker extraordinaire Rudy Gobert guarding the rim. But the Utah Jazz center was unable to prevent Australian counterpart Andrew Bogut from scoring 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Fellow big man Aron Baynes was also able to put up 14 points and eight rebounds.

The French will once again go up against a Chinese team with lots of size and decent skill along the frontcourt. But the Chinese bigs don’t have anywhere near the experience level of the Aussies, which should be good news for Gobert and co. France should also be able to match up well with Yi. Diaw is a versatile power forward who is more than comfortable of defending the Chinese star out to the perimeter.

Writer’s Prediction: France bounces back in a big way after their opening game humiliation. Take the French (-24.5) to cover against China.

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