GAMBLING GUIDE

Bookie Busters: NBA Playoffs and Champions League plays

Jerry Bo
May 2, 2018, 6:10 am
The Rockets have been tough against the Jazz. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Bookie Busters was on fire this weekend ending 7-2-2

Let's continue the streak with some NBA and Soccer plays.

Roma vs. Liverpool

The Estadio Olimpico; a place where miracles happen, and the home side will be looking to strike lightning twice in front of over 73,000 enthusiasts. Confidence, mysteriously, is at an all-time high with the locals as they fresh memory of the recent 3-0 win over a Messi led Barcelona, make this feat everything but impossible. If you can stop Messi, then why not Mohamed Salah?

For starters, Salah has netted ten goals in this tournament, and 43 this season across all competitions. He's managed to get on the scoresheet in nine of The Reds last ten fixtures and thats pushed the over 2.5 goals total eight times in that sample size. In the first leg, Salah scored twice while setting up the other two goals, making it a night to remember for the Egyptian sensation.  

The Pick

An open match with end to end action, as the home team must overcome a three-goal deficit. On their side, the benefit of scoring two away goals, but having to net at the minimum three, will leave them exposed playing out of character. The Pool counter attack is what they thrive on, and the situation will play right into their hands.

Play of the Week:

Liverpool Team Total Over 1.5 3x

Over 3

Both teams to score

Salah scores a goal 2x

Rockets vs. Jazz 7:00 PM

The No. 1 overall seed has been giving the Red Rowdy aficionadi worries for their streaky performances thus far in the playoffs. Game 1 of this series finally saw the Rockets come out and dominate from wire to wire led by James Harden's 41 point explosion while hitting seven shots from behind the arch. Houston is 5-0 ATS in the last five in this matchup. Game 1's performance comes as no surprise, as Harden has dominated in those contest averaging 31 points per game while shooting 42.2 percent from the field.

The Pick

Houston dominated the last game, all while only scoring 36 points in the paint. They relied on their bread and butter, the outside shot. When Houston is hitting their shots at the rate they do, it makes it impossible for teams to adjust, especially one that relies on a big body like Rudy Gobert.

Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last five games. The Rockets are also 5-0 ATS in the last five games vs. the Jazz. The total has gone over in four of Utah's last five games when playing on the road vs. Houston. Houston is also 7-3 ATS at home in its last 10 when playing the Jazz. Look for Houston to have its way, making the Jazz play out of character having to chase the game from the start.

Rockets first Half -6.5

Rockets over 52 First Half

Rockets Team Total Over 107.5

Over 205

Celtics  vs. 76ers

Over 207

UEFA Europa League Semifinals Thursday 1:45

Atletico Madrid  vs. Arsenal

Atletico Madrid money line -130

For any questions or comments reach me at @JerryBoKnowz on Twitter.

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Houston's magic number stays at 2

Astros drop series finale to Mariners after rough start by Greinke

Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

With their magic number at 2 to secure their spot in the 2020 MLB postseason, the Astros returned to T-Mobile Park in Seattle for this three-game series' finale and rubber game. Here are the highlights from the game:

Final Score: Mariners 3, Astros 2.

Record: 28-28, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Nick Margevicius (2-3, 4.57 ERA)

Losing pitcher: Zack Greinke (3-3, 4.03 ERA).

Greinke unable to complete five innings

While the Astros were being held scoreless, the Mariners were putting up runs on Zack Greinke. They took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles followed by an RBI-double with one out. Greinke would stop the damage there, then looked to settle in over the next few frames.

He allowed just one baserunner in the second through fourth innings, a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth. Then, in the fifth, the Mariners would knock him out of the game by getting a one-out single that would come around to score on a two-out RBI-double, followed by an RBI-single to extend the lead to 3-0. Greinke faced one more batter, allowing a single before Dusty Baker would take the ball and move to the bullpen. His final line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR, 92 P.

Astros try a late rally, come up short

On the other end, the Astros were unable to break through against Nick Margevicius, getting just one hit and two walks through the first four innings. They had a chance to get on the board in the top of the fifth, starting the inning with back-to-back singles before a walk loaded the bases with one out to turn the lineup over. They'd come up empty, though, with George Springer striking out before a long flyball to center by Jose Altuve to end the inning.

After finishing the fifth for Greinke, Andre Scrubb returned for a scoreless sixth, working around a one-out walk. Still 3-0, Blake Taylor took over on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, erasing a leadoff single and two-out walk to keep Seattle from extending their lead. Houston had another chance to score in the top of the eighth, getting two runners in scoring position, but again would strand them.

Cy Sneed was the next reliever out for the Astros, working around a two-out walk to send the game on to the ninth. The Astros would avoid the shutout, getting a two-RBI single by pinch-hitting Josh Reddick in the top of the ninth to make it a one-run game at 3-2. That's as close as they'd come, though, as the Mariners would eventually get the final out to take the series and keep the Astros' magic number stagnant at 2.


Up Next: There is one series left in the regular season for Houston, and it awaits them in Arlington with a four-game series against the Rangers, who are well eliminated from playoff contention. The first of the four games will start at 7:05 PM Central on Thursday with a pitching matchup of Lance Lynn (6-2, 2.53 ERA) for Texas and Cristian Javier (4-2, 3.33 ERA) for the Astros.

astros recap astros vs mariners astros score mariners score mariners recap mlb mlb recap zack greinke astros

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