SportFriday August 9 Best Sports Betting Picks for Olympics, MLB and NFL Preseason

The Paris Olympics are winding down, with gold medals still to be won.

One team heavily favored to win one is the United States women’s basketball team, in action on Friday in the tournament semifinals.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks are playing the second contest of a four-game set. You may recall that Zack Wheeler dominated the Diamondbacks in last season’s National League Championship Series, but Arizona won in seven games to advance to the World Series.

When it comes to NFL preseason games, the most important thing is figuring out which team needs to win more. A team regularly in the playoffs is more interested in making it through August without sustaining injuries, but other teams need to gain some momentum—or increase ticket sales—by winning some games.

We will look at USA women’s basketball, the baseball rematch, and an NFL game that fits the above profile.

AUSTRALIA VS. UNITED STATES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

There isn’t much chance of an upset here in the semifinals. The U.S. has won seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and 59 straight games in Olympic competition.

Then again, nobody felt Serbia would ever lead the Team USA men by 17 points, and it took a valiant comeback for the Americans to stave off that upset bid. Australia is capable of putting forth a strong effort, particularly with a gold-medal game spot on the line.

Alanna Smith had 22 points and 13 rebounds in Australia’s 85-67 victory over Serbia to reach this game. Other WNBA players like Jade Melbourne, Sami Whitcomb and Ezi Magbegor are also solid players.

Of course, the U.S. has A’ja Wilson (averages 20.3 points and 10 rebounds), the top women’s player in the world. And demoting 42-year-old Diana Taurasi in favor of Jackie Young, a much-better all-around player, has only made the Americans a stronger team.

Australia plus 15.5 points, -108 (DraftKings)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES AT ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Wheeler went 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA in three appearances (two starts) in the 2023 NLCS, but Arizona went 4-1 in the games Wheeler didn’t start. Wheeler faced the Diamondbacks in June and once again silenced them by limiting them to one run and two hits over seven innings in a 12-1 victory.

Wheeler is also a hot pitcher entering the matchup, as he allowed no runs in two of his past three starts. Combine that with his 5-2 career mark and 2.97 ERA in nine career regular-season starts against Arizona, and you know the Diamondbacks are in for a challenge.

Philadelphia has won four of its last five games after losing six straight and 12 of 15. Arizona has been soaring with a 14-5 mark since the All-Star break and had won four straight prior to Thursday’s 6-4 loss in the series opener.

Ryne Nelson starts for Arizona, and he was torched for three runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning in Game 2 of the NLCS. Nelson is 3-0 with a 2.98 ERA over his last seven starts, so look for a low-scoring affair.

Under 8.5 runs, -118 (DraftKings)

ATLANTA FALCONS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS

The Falcons haven’t made the postseason since the 2017 campaign, before Matt Ryan’s career began spiraling downward. They have since missed the playoffs in six straight seasons and fired coach Arthur Smith in January after three straight 7-10 seasons under his watch.

Miami has made the playoffs in both seasons under coach Mike McDaniel, including an 11-6 regular season in 2023. The Dolphins are here to get in some work, keep players healthy, and try to figure out who is their backup quarterback—Mike White or Skylar Thompson—while Tua Tagovailoa plays zero or one series.

Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins as a free agent in the offseason, but don’t expect to see much of him. This is a time for rookie Michael Penix Jr. to show everyone why the Falcons selected him eighth overall in the 2024 draft, even though they added Cousins.

New Atlanta coach, Raheem Morris, is trying to establish a new culture. The Falcons aren’t favored to win because they have better talent; it is because they need the victory.

Falcons -2.5 spread, -110 (DraftKings)