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Howard helps Magic overcome BullsBasketball Betting Lines02/27/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to overcome 11 turnovers, as the Orlando Magic bested the Chicago Bulls, 94-87, at the United Center. Jameer Nelson added 18 points for Orlando, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Darko Milicic had 14 points and a career-high 16 boards for the Magic, which had lost six straight on the road. "Obviously this was a win sorely needed by us coming out of the All-Star break, 0-4 hurt us," said Orlando coach Brian Hill. "However, I told the guys that I thought we were getting better with every game. Tonight I thought we played well defensively, but didn't do a good job taking care of the ball. The guys just executed well especially down the stretch." Ben Gordon registered 32 points for the Bulls, who played their fourth game in five days. Luol Deng added 23 points, six rebounds, six steals and six assists for Chicago, which has lost two in a row. A Howard dunk tied the game at 82 with 3:06 left to play. After the Bulls were whistled for a shot clock violation, Howard drilled two free throws, giving Orlando the lead for good. The Magic then stretched the lead with three straight free throws from Nelson to open an 87-82 advantage with 1:43 remaining. Gordon then turned it over and Keyon Dooling hit 1-of-2 foul shots, putting the Magic ahead by six. Gordon then hit two free throws of his own, but Nelson answered with a jumper to make it 90-84 with 1:10 showing on the clock. The Bulls continued to fight as Gordon connected on a triple to pull Chicago within three, 90-87, with 36.9 seconds left. Hedo Turkoglu then missed a jumper but Howard tipped out an offensive rebound, which eventually found Turkoglu, who was immediately fouled with 12.3 ticks remaining. Turkoglu connected on both free throws, icing the game for Orlando. "We didn't play well," said Deng. "They wanted it more than we did. We were slow the whole game. I'm not taking anything away from Orlando. They came in tonight and got the win. I think they're better than their record indicates." Orlando took a 46-45 lead into the intermission after an evenly played first half. The Bulls trailed by as many as seven in the third quarter, but Chicago closed the stanza with a 9-2 run, capped by a Gordon jumper with two seconds left to tie it at 65 heading into the final quarter. Game Notes Orlando outrebounded Chicago, 49-31...Orlando committed 27 turnovers, leading to 30 Bulls points...Chicago shot just 39.5 percent...Orlando had lost six of its last eight games against Chicago coming in, but has won both contests this season.
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Betting the NFL preseasonRule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games." When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night. The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine. “I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.” The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark. “We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.” The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long. “It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.” Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play. “You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt." So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps? “Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says. Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins. Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet. Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter. “If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says. Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider. The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason. “We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003. Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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