Team USA will try to reach the gold medal game for a fourth straight Games when it faces Australia in the quarterfinal round Thursday, August 5. Fans and bettors can catch the game at 12:15 a.m. ET.
If you are not in front of a television, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com will live stream the match. You’ll need a cable subscription for access. If you don’t have one, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the match. You can also watch on the NBC Sports mobile app.
The Americans overcame a 38-point performance from Spain’s Ricky Rubio to advance to the semifinal round. Kevin Durant continues to shine, but USA’s three-point shooting has been the difference in this tournament. If the Americans get cold from deep, it could cause problems for their offense. Team USA has clearly overcome its early struggles in exhibition play and the upset loss to France. This group is now in a groove and rightfully considered the favorite to win gold.
Australia brings a team with plenty of NBA talent in Patty Mills, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Matisse Thybulle and Matthew Dellavedova. The group also includes Aron Baynes, but he’s out of the Olympics with a neck injury. Mills and Ingles can get things going offensively and Thybulle will be tasked with shutting down Durant. Coming off a massive win over Argentina, this group will have confidence entering this match.
How to watch USA vs. Australia
Storylines
Team USA: The Americans outlasted Spain to get a step closer to a gold medal, and despite the early missteps U.S. is looking far better than it did when it lost to France in the Olympic opener. But now they'll face an Australia team that beat them in an exhibition game leading up to the Olympics, so the pressure will be on Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and the rest of Team USA to prove that loss was just a blip on the radar. If they win, either France or Slovenia will match up against them in the championship game. If they lose, then not only will they be playing for a bronze medal, but the criticism that was heaped on them after losing to France will only come more furiously than before.
Australia: The Aussies haven't dropped a game the entire tournament, and hope to keep that going against a Team USA who will be heavily favored Thursday morning. But the Australian team is a well-oiled machine, and while the Americans have more talent, Australia is a more cohesive team that has experience playing on the international stage prior to the Olympics. In the exhibition game between these two teams, Patty Mills led the Australians with 22 points and four assists, while Joe Ingles tacked on another 17 points in the win. Those two have been the steady force behind this team's success all tournament long, and it will be tested against Team USA.
Prediction
The Americans will want to get some revenge on an Australian team that forced them to answer some hard questions about this team. I think it's close, similar to the game against Spain, but I think eventually Team USA will come out on top and quiet some doubters. Pick: United States -700, Australia +12