Although Team USA nearly needed overtime to defeat Serbia earlier in these 2016 Rio Olympics, Las Vegas apparently isn't concerned about a repeat performance.
Serbia earned a spot in the gold-medal game against the United States with a decisive win over Australia in the semifinals on Friday. And just moments after the final buzzer sounded, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook posted opening lines for Sunday's game — as well as odds for the women's gold-medal contest between Team USA and Spain:
The men open as 15.5 point favorites and 20/1 favorites on the moneyline — the same price for Team USA to win a gold medal since the Olympics started. The women, meanwhile, are expected to continue their unbelievable Olympic dominance, as they should be. They're absolutely incredible.
That 15.5-point line for the men is a compelling bet. On the one hand, USA Basketball has won multiple games by just single-digits, including that aforementioned 94-91 victory over Serbia last week. Any time the United States has faced an opponent with NBA players on the roster, the game has been closer than anticipated.
On the other, the gold-medal game is Team USA's final chance to send a message to the rest of the world. With no reason to hold back, they could finally come up with a wire-to-wire rout of a worthy opponent.
Of course, it would help if Coach K plays his best lineups as often as possible. Just a thought.
