United States vs. South Sudan Men’s Basketball: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The United States men's basketball team faces South Sudan in its second Olympic group stage game, less than two weeks after Team USA beat this team by just one point in an exhibition game.

In Team USA's 110-84 win over Serbia to open their Olympic campaign, veteran superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant led the way by combining for 44 points on 17/22 shooting.

Backing Team USA -13.5, over 180.5 total points, and Joel Embiid under 12.5 points, we went 3/3 on best bets.

On Wednesday, the US gets a second crack at South Sudan after Team USA won by one point in the exhibition game despite entering as 40-point favorites. Ahead of this matchup, check out our expert predictions as we aim for more winners. 

United States vs. South Sudan men’s basketball betting picks and predictions

South Sudan Under 80.5 Total Points (-120)

It’s fair to speculate the July 20 men’s basketball exhibition between South Sudan and Team USA meant a whole lot more to South Sudan than it did to the Stars and Stripes.

Still, you have to give South Sudan credit for battling the most talented team in the world down to the final possession. And for losing by just one point, 101-100, South Sudan stole plenty of headlines and created plenty of questions for the US.

Whether you remember them from the college basketball ranks or bouncing around the NBA, South Sudan got big-time performances from Carlik Jones, who posted a triple double, Marial Shayok, who poured in six threes, and Wenyen Gabriel, who added 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. 

It’s important to note Kevin Durant was absent from this matchup, and, more importantly, the U.S. was lacking conviction in this game, notably on the defensive end. Wednesday’s matchup, which has real stakes, should be a different story.

South Sudan also won their opener, defeating Puerto Rico 90-79. Because of that performance and their shot-making ability against the US in the exhibition, we are shying away from the 29.5-point spread.

Instead, we are banking on the U.S. stepping up the tenacity on the defensive end, anchored by two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday. Expect the US to carry a chip on their shoulder and hold South Sudan to Under 80.5 Total Points at -120.

LeBron James Over 15.5 Points (-115)

This is the fourth and final Olympics for James, and it’s clear he’s leaving it all on the court.

Scoring 23 points against South Sudan in the exhibition and 21 points in the opener against Serbia, James has exceeded scoring expectations in these international contests.

Because the U.S. is so loaded and the spread is 29.5 points, it makes sense his point total is only 15.5. But if the individual U.S. player stat lines have told us anything to this point, it’s that we can count on James to come through.

Take LeBron James Over 15.5 Total Points at -115.

LeBron James Over 6.5 Assists (-115)

This prop serves as a safety net and a hedge for James’ point total.

If James takes a backseat in scoring, he will likely still contribute as a playmaker. He had six assists against South Sudan in the exhibition and nine against Serbia in the Olympics opener.

As this is his final Olympics, James should continue to lead in minutes, translating to more assists. Take LeBron James Over 6.5 assists at -115 to round out our best bets and predictions.

Read the latest USA Basketball news on site.

United States vs. South Sudan men’s basketball odds

Spread	USA -29.5
Total	O/U 190.5

United States vs. South Sudan men’s basketball player props

Player Points

Carlik Jones (South Sudan)	O/U 16.5
LeBron James (USA)	O/U 15.5
Marial Shayok (South Sudan)	O/U 13.5
Kevin Durant (USA)	O/U 15.5
Anthony Edwards (USA)	O/U 11.5
Stephen Curry (USA)	O/U 12.5

Read United States vs. South Sudan Men's Basketball: How to watch, TV channel, streaming, start time, injury report and stats on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.