Argentina vs. Spain – Olympic Basketball, July 29, 2021

After getting pummeled in their opener, Argentina faces another stiff test in the form of 2^nd-ranked Spain. The Spaniards easily dispatched Japan on Monday and will be well-rested for their upcoming battle.

This game tips off at 9 PM local time on Thursday, although remember that Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. That means any east coasters looking to lock in an Argentina vs. Spain pick, you better have your wagers in before 8 AM.

I’ll begin this Olympic basketball preview with a peek at the odds.

Argentina opens up as a substantial underdog in this Group C tilt. While the line is holding steady at 8.5 points, the total is bouncing between 162 and 163 depending on where you’re betting on Olympic Basketball.

Both Argentina and Spain failed to cover the spread the last time out, although Spain knocked off France twice during exhibition and gave the United States all they could handle. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Argentina got clobbered by USA on July 13^th in Vegas. The day before, Nigeria blasted Argentina by 23 in a game that the Argentines were favored by four.

The moral is Spain is playing some pretty good basketball while Sergio Hernandez and his crew are in the midst of a rough patch. Argentina has lost four straight games; they’ve failed to cover the spread in each of the last three.

Giving up 118 points is worrisome, but there are plenty of positives Argentina can draw on from their most recent performance versus Slovenia. Despite shooting a despicable 5/31 from outside and getting outrebounded 59-32, the Argentines still managed to score 100 points in 40 minutes.

Argentina was +9 in the turnover battle and shot 21/25 from the line. They converted on nearly 62% of their two-point tries. This isn’t the deepest roster in the 12-team field – far from it – but a trio of current/former NBA players did a nice job carrying the load.

Having said that, this aforementioned trio will need to be much more efficient shooting the rock versus Spain. Pooled together, they connected on just 4 of 20 three-point attempts.

Spain had the luxury of resting starters in the fourth quarter in their last game. That means veterans like the Gasol brothers and Ricky Rubio will have plenty of” pep in their step” when they take the court on Thursday.

Victor Claver was a key contributor totaling 13 points and 9 rebounds without missing a shot (6-6). Alex Abrines added 11. Spain’s latest demonstration was just another example of a well-coached team executing according to plan.

Assessing this matchup between South America and Europe, one team appears to be headed into a downward spiral. The other is refreshed and ready to hit their stride.

If your plan is to attack the spread, head to SportsBetting.ag where the juice is -110 on both sides. Same if you want to bet on the under. However, if you’re looking is to hammer the over, head to BetUS to pencil in your Argentina vs. Spain betting pick.

That’s what I’ve done.

With the total lurking at 163 at most of the online sportsbooks, the prospect of latching onto the over at 162 quickly piqued my interest. Argentina isn’t committed to playing defense – that was evidenced by surrendering a whopping 118 points to Slovenia. Spain scored 88 points shooting under 30% from downtown, their greatest strength is their offensive firepower.

All signs point toward betting the over.