NBA playoffs multi, bookie bonuses and free tips for May 10-11

Games on Wednesday and Thursday from 10am AEST

WE’RE starting to reach the pointy end of the NBA playoffs with the 16 teams being steadily whittled down.

And, with sweeps by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, there are now only six teams left.

The Cavs and Warriors swiftly dealt with the Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz to book their dates in the Western Conference Finals.

So now it’s time to decide who will be joining them.

Four teams are still in semi finals battles, with the Houston Rockets ($2.93 with SportsBet.com.au) up against the San Antonio Spurs ($1.43) in Texas on Wednesday, May 10, at 10am AEST, fighting out a battle to take on the Warriors.

And on Thursday, May 11, also at 10am AEST, the Washington Wizards ($2.61) and Boston Celtics ($1.52) are going at it in the east in a bid to win a date with the Cavs.

Four teams, two huge clashes over two days.

Let’s see if we can’t make a little money out of a multi.

Suggested multi for NBA playoffs Wednesday and Thursday:

Houston Rockets to defeat the San Antonio Spurs at $2.93

Boston Celtics at the line +4.5 against the Washington Wizards at $1.95

Two leg multi pays $5.71 with Sportsbet.com.au

Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs

Our pick: Houston Rockets to win ($2.93 with Sportsbet.com.au)

Points pick: Over 214 ($1.91 with Sportsbet.com.au)

The Rockets bounced back after a pair of losses to blast the San Antonio Spurs of their home basketball court in Game 4 to tie the series at two games apiece.

And, let us tell you, Game 5 in San Antonio is any one’s game.

Both teams have shown they can win on their opponents floor, with the two teams splitting their home stands so far.

But Tony Parker is a massive loss for the Spurs.

The former NBA finals MVP went down with a knee injury late in Game 3 and will miss the rest of the series. The bulk of his minutes went to Aussie Patty Mills and, while the Boomer is certainly a talented player, you can’t really buy the mix of experience and playoff nous that Parker brings to the table.

It clearly tipped the scales in the Rockets favour in Game 4, with the Spurs finding it nearly impossible to generate anything offensively.

Parker had been their get out of jail free card in the early stages of the playoffs and, without him there, the offence stagnated in a 125-104 defeat.

The Rockets took the lead on the first bucket of the game and never surrendered it, led expertly once again by MVP hopeful James Harden, who overcame a chest cold to 28 points and dole out 12 assists, adding four three-pointers for good measure.

Sixth Man of the Year candidate Eric Gordon came off the bench to pour in 22 points, draining six of his nine attempts from the outside, while Trevor Ariza produced a diverse line of 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Spurs’ star Kawhi Leonard (16 points) was well held by a combination of Ariza and plenty of help D and he did not have any one who could really stand up and be counted, with Jonathan Simmons leading the scoring of the bench with 17 points in 23 minutes.

The Rockets were absolutely deadly from deep, draining 19 of their 43 attempts from the outside, compared to just seven from the Spurs.vb 8 h

It’s always going to be tough when you’re getting the extra point on so many plays and not making up for it at the other end.

And that’s why we think the Rockets have the tickets to get this one done in Texas.

Three of the four games played in this series have exceeded the 214 point total set by the bookies and that was only because both teams shot the ball poorly by their lofty standards.

The other three games have gone well over and that bodes well for another high scoring game. The caveat is that the Spurs do tend to defend better on their home floor, but we honestly don’t think it will matter.

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics

Our tip: Boston Celtics at the line +4.5 ($1.95 with Sportsbet.com.au)

Points pick: Over 215 ($1.91 with Sportsbet.com.au)

This might just be the best series of the playoffs. It’s had biffs, brawls, overtime games and stand out performances.

And it now shifts to Boston precariously placed at two games a piece.

Boston claimed both games at home at the start of the series to take a two-nil lead. But the Wizards fought back hard to square it up in their two tilts in Washington.

There has been no quarter given in this match up, featuring two teams who genuinely don’t like each other.

Isaiah Thomas had a tooth knocked out, The two Kelly’s, Oubre Jr and Olynyk, caused a fracas, the former earning a suspension for his role as retaliator, and Thomas, John Wall and Bradley Beal have been putting up absurd lines.

Last time out it was the Wizards who poured on 26 straight points in the third quarter to effectively end the contest in a 121-102 victory.

Wall and Beal poured in 56 points between them, while Otto Porter Jr had 18 and Marcus Morris 16.

Thomas hit five three pointers early on, scoring 19 points, but he was ineffective in the second half.

We want to pick the Wizards on exposed form, but this Celtics team is a different beast back home and we think they can win this and do it comfortably.

There had not been a mountain of defence played in these games and, similarly to the Spurs v Rockets series, the total match score has exceeded the bookie’s figure of 215 in three of four games.

The first two games were both whales in Boston and we reckon it’s on again.

Thomas, Wall and Beal are absolutely cooking and they have the role players around them performing well enough to make this a big total.