Venezuela vs. China Betting Preview
Where: Carioca Arena 1 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When: Wednesday, August 10, 2016, 9:30 PM EST
Line: Venezuela (-6.5) vs. China (+6.5); total: 135.0 – view all men’s Olympic basketball lines
TV Broadcast: NBCSN / NBCOlympics.com
Writer’s Pick: Venezuela (-6.5)
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Offensive Edge – Venezuela (-6.5)
Both Venezuela and China are searching for its first win in Rio tonight, but only one will manage to do so. And if the former does end up victorious, it would probably because of their scoring duo of John Cox and Gregory Echenique.
Cox, a close relative of the recently-retired Kobe Bryant, bounced back from his silent performance in the opener versus Serbia. He led the Venezuelans with 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting despite suffering another lopsided loss at the hands of the reigning world champions—the United States.
Echenique, meanwhile, has been the most consistent thus far, averaging team-highs of 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the first two games. He and Cox should be in line for a huge night against an arguably weaker Chinese squad.
Speaking of which, Team Dragon’s overall length, particularly in the interior, could spell trouble for the Venezuelans. Yi Jianlian, who followed up his 25-point effort against the U.S. with an all-around game of 19 points, six boards and four steals versus France, is bound to have a relatively easier time in getting some buckets down low.
Defensive Edge – China (+6.5)
As mentioned earlier, China’s size is likely to cause problems for the Venezuelans. Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhelin and Zhou Peng are all legitimate 7-footers and have the ability to spread the floor through their outside strokes. Plus, their long arms should come in handy in negating any attempts near or towards the cup, and most especially in controlling the glass.
Venezuela, however, can still compete despite being undersized in almost every position. A proof of that was showcased in the match against the Star-Spangled Banner, wherein La Vinotinto de las Alturas limited the Americans to just 18 points in the opening period. But now the question is—can Venezuela sustain that type of defensive tenacity for an entire 40 minutes?
Writer’s Prediction: This match goes straight down the wire with the Venezuelans (-6.5) edging China by less than 10 points.
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