Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2024 Olympics basketball match Brazil.
Brazil
Among all teams in the quarter-finals, Brazil depends the most on just one player. Forward Bruno Caboclo led this team to the Olympics by himself, earning 13 free throws against Latvia in the qualifiers. He also helped Brazil reach the playoffs: he made 4 out of 4 three-pointers against Japan and scored 33 points with 17 rebounds. The problem is that against better organised and more skilled opponents, all of Brazil's attacking magic disappears.
USA
The United States side easily won all three games in their group, winning by 17 points or more each time. But you could see that their team wasn't trying to beat their opponents by as much as possible. Once they get a comfortable lead (+20), the NBA superstars start to relax: they allow more on defence, try to guard three players in the paint, and create unnecessary risks.
Brazil - USA Prediction
The USA still isn't playing as well as they can, but it seems they don't need to yet. We’re sure they will stop Caboclo, and the 41-year-old Marcelinho Huertas might get too tired to keep up with the fast pace in the first half. At the same time, the Americans sometimes make careless plays on offence, especially after halftime. We’re betting on total under.
