Three weeks ago, Australia upset the United States in a men’s basketball exhibition. The stakes are much higher this time around.
Team USA will get another shot at the Aussies on Thursday, this time in an Olympic semifinal with a berth in the gold medal game on the line.
Even though Australia won 91-83 in the last matchup, the U.S. is a big favorite this time around. Team USA is currently a 12.5-point favorite at BetMGM with the total set at 181.5.
The U.S. dropped its Olympic opener to France but has since won three straight games. Team USA blew out Iran and Czech Republic before advancing to the semifinals with a 95-81 victory over Spain. The U.S. was a 12.5-point favorite against Spain and used a strong fourth quarter push to eventually cover the spread.
The game was close at half, but the Americans surged ahead by double-digits in the third quarter. With Ricky Rubio leading the way, Spain cut its deficit to just six points entering the fourth quarter, but Kevin Durant and the Americans pulled away late to win fairly comfortably.
