Sports Reporter | Capper
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France has yet to capture the gold medal in men's basketball at the Olympics, but with a win over Germany on Thursday the host nation can move to within just one game of accomplishing the feat and clinch a fifth medal in its 12 appearances.
Standing in the way is a big, physical German team which went wire-to-wire against France in an 85-71 win during the group stage and remains unbeaten with four wins by 13 or more points each. Germany will certainly take some confidence into this one as a result, but it can't overlook a French side that pulled off a stunning upset of Canada in the quarterfinals.
Without further ado, let's get right into the best way to bet on Germany vs France in the 2024 Paris Olympics semifinals on Thursday, Aug 8.
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Olympic Matchups:
Last Meeting:
France did something different on Tuesday and decided to go with a smaller lineup to start, separating Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert and bringing Evan Fournier off the bench.
Franz Wagner torched France in that one with his jump-shooting ability, Dennis Schroder went 10-17 from the field, and when it was all said and done they finished with 26 points apiece.
France has altered its lineup a few times already during these Olympics, but it now seems they can rely upon Frank Ntilikina for solid defensive minutes after his start against Canada and the likes of Guerschon Yabusele and Isaia Cordinier proved to incredibly valuable in not only defending the wings but providing this team a shooting boost.
I think this defensive outlook for France is much brighter with those two in the fold and Fournier seeing fewer minutes, and in chorus with more strong defending at the rim this team should have a much fairer chance of pulling the upset against a pretty one-dimensional Germany team. Expect considerably better shooting in this one as well from the French.
Best Bet: France +5 (+100 at DraftKings)
France was forced to play Rudy Gobert just four minutes on Tuesday after the bigman injured his finger, and while he's expected to continue on in the Olympics it would seem that this team will rely upon Wembanyama for big minutes in one of the biggest basketball games this nation has ever played.
It would seem, then, that eyeing some Wembanyama props would be a wise idea in this one. While it's difficult to bet on his points or rebounds which are set at some extreme totals, I do see a bit of an opportunity to bet on the bigman to let it fly from deep.
I expect Wembanyama to be given full autonomy in this matchup, and that's seemed to mean a healthy dose of shots from outside during these games. With Germany playing strong defense inside, I expect Wembanyama to be rising up to take a ton of jumpers.
Best Bet: Victor Wembanyama Over 1.5 Threes (-140 at DraftKings)
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