Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canada guard Jamal Murray (4) looks on in the second quarter against USA in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Team Canada face Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the opening game for both teams at the 2024 Olympics on Saturday
- Stacked with NBA talent, Canada is heavily favored over Greece
- See the Canada vs Greece odds, picks, predictions, and rosters for July 27
The 2024 Olympic basketball tournament kicks off with a quartet of games on Saturday, July 27, including Canada vs Greece at 3:00 pm ET.
Led by 2024 NBA MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Team Canada is a big 7.5-point favorite in their tournament-opener.
Canada vs Greece Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | -7.5 (-110) | -340 | O 172 (-112) |
| Greece | +7.5 (-110) | +270 | U 172 (-108) |
The Canadians are also -340 on the moneyline to win straight-up with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece a +270 underdog. The game total is sitting at 172.
Olympic basketball games are 40 minutes in duration (four ten-minute quarters).
Odds as of July 26 at DraftKings. Use the best real money betting apps to wager on the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament.Â
Team USA is a massive -500 favorite to win the gold medal. Canada enters play as the +1100 second-favorite, while Greece is fifth at +2000.
Giannis Riding Solo for Greece?
Giannis is the only active NBA player on the Greek Olympic roster. His two brothers – Kostas and Thanasis – both of whom have NBA experience, are injured and not on the roster. The bulk of Giannis’ teammates play domestically in their home country.
North Americans may remember naturalized Greek point guard Thomas Walkup from the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Walkup led #14 Stephen F. Austin to a memorable first-round upset of #3 West Virginia before losing by a point to #6 Notre Dame in round two.
Greece was the last team to book its spot in the Olympics, beating the Dominican Republic (109-82), Egypt (93-71), Slovenia (96-68), and Croatia (80-69) in early July to claim the final berth.
They were underwhelming in their two Olympic warm-up games, though, beating Puerto Rico (the second-biggest longshot in the Olympics, ahead of only Japan) by a bucket before getting blown out by Nikola Jokic and Serbia (94-72).
Canada Stacked with NBA Talent
Fielding by far its best team ever in the Olympics, Canada heads to Paris with an NBA-laden roster outdone only by the Americans. In addition to SGA, Canada’s starting five is apt to include Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Raptors guard RJ Barrett, and Rockets defensive stalwart Dillon Brooks.
The table below lists all the current NBA player on the Canadian roster, in order of PPG in the 2023-24 season.
Canadian NBA Players
| Player | Team | Position | 2023-24 Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Thunder | PG | 30.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.2 APG |
| Jamal Murray | Nuggets | PG | 21.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.5 APG |
| Â RJ Barrett | Raptors | SG | 20.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.3 APG |
| Dillon Brooks | Rockets | SF | 12.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.7 APG |
| Luguentz Dort | Thunder | SG | 10.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 APG |
| Kelly Olynyk | Raptors | PF | 9.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.4 APG |
| Andrew Nembhard | Pacers | PG | 9.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 4.1 APG |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Timberwolves | SG | 8.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.5 APG |
| Trey Lyles | Kings | PF | 7.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.2 APG |
| Dwight Powell | Mavericks | C | 3.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.3 APG |
The 12-man roster is rounded out by Khem Birch and Melvin Ejim, both of whom play in Spain’s Liga ACB.
Canada looked solid in three pre-Olympic warm up games. After blowing an early seven point lead to Team USA (86-72), Canada took down a deep and talented French squad (85-73) before another double-digit win over Puerto Rico (103-93).
SGA had a game-high 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the impressive victory over France while Barrett added 21.
Canada vs Greece Predictions
Canada’s depth should prove too much for Greece over the course of 40 minutes, but this is a big spread in a shortened format with Giannis on the other side.
Greece has plenty of size to bang down low with Olynyk, Powell, and Lyles, and Giannis can matchup defensively with whoever is the hot hand on the Canadian side.
Canada should win but expect a close game throughout.
Canada vs Greece pick: Greece +7.5 (-110)
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.