Friday August 2 Best Sports Betting Picks & Predictions: Olympic Basketball, CFL, MLB

We've crossed into August, and key sports, like the NFL, are starting up following the Hall of Fame game yesterday between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.

Today, we have a key matchup in the CFL, the baseball season has moved past the trade deadline, and men’s basketball in the Olympics has some exciting matchups. 

Let’s dive into the best bets around the sports world today, Friday, August 2. 

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays

The Yankees are hosting the Blue Jays and will send Marcus Stroman to the mound against Kevin Gausman.

Gausman is coming off a complete game against Texas, in which he allowed three earned runs. While that number has been at four or less in each of his last four starts, he started against the Yankees at home on June 30, in which he allowed seven earned runs across just 4.1 innings. 

The Yankees have averaged three home runs per game over their last three, and Gausman has an HR/9 north of 1.00. 

Look for the Yankees bats to beat up on Gausman early and take a big enough lead that’ll allow Storman to allow two or three earned runs and still have a big enough cushion. 

Best Bet: Yankees -1.5 Runs (+114 at FanDuel)

Montreal Alouettes vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Week 9 of the CFL season is here. The Alouettes are 6-1, taking on the 2-5 Tiger-Cats. The spread here is quite low, but Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo is back following a hamstring injury. 

In Week 8, backup Davis Alexander led the team to victory, throwing for two touchdowns. He was the third-string quarterback, also behind Caleb Evans, who was benched. 

Montreal’s offense is tied for second in points scored (195) and faces a Ticats defense that has allowed a league-high 221 points (31.6 points per game). 

Ticats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell had five passing touchdowns in Week 8, but that came against the lowly Edmonton Elks, who are 0-7 on the year. 

Expect Fajardo to come back strong and handle a Ticats team with a porous defense that’ll struggle to contain Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot. 

Best Bet: Alouettes -3.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Greece vs. Australia (Olympic Men’s Basketball)

It’s no secret that Greece relies solely on Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they will need more than that to take on Australia. 

Australia will likely start Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, and big man Jock Landale. Landale and Giddey are each averaging 18 points per game. As a team, Australia is shooting 40.8% from beyond the arch. Jack McVeigh is shooting 54.5% from there while playing 17.5 minutes per game. Australia also had Dante Exum playing 16.9 minutes per game and averaging 15 points. In all, six players are averaging double-digit points. 

Greece is shooting 31.3% from beyond the arc. Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.5 points per outing, but only two other players are averaging double digits: Kostas Papanikolaou with 13 and Vasilis Toliopoulos with 11.5. 

Antetokounmpo cannot single-handedly carry them to a win against a competent big man in Landale, Giddey, and Mills. They’ll need a massive game from everyone else.

Best Bet: Australia -5.5 (-112 at FanDuel)