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Rockets close out homestand vs. WarriorsBasketball Betting Lines02/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reeling Houston Rockets conclude a disastrous six-game homestand on Tuesday by facing one of the Western Conference's worst teams, the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets, who fell to 1-4 on their residency with a heartbreaking 115-111 overtime loss to Phoenix on Sunday, should have an excellent chance to stop their slide. Houston has topped the Warriors eight straight times, including a pair of wins in Oakland this season. Amare Stoudemire poured in a season-high 36 points on Sunday and the Suns hit 7-of-8 at the foul line in overtime, as Phoenix gutted out a tough road win over Houston. Aaron Brooks had 24 points and six assists for the Rockets. Trevor Ariza contributed 21 points and hit a game-tying three near the end of regulation to force extra time. Luis Scola and Carl Landry went for 17 and 16 points, respectively, in the loss. With the Suns leading 100-97 in the waning seconds of regulation, Robin Lopez blocked Landry's layup attempt to force a jump ball, won by Houston, and the ball found its way to Ariza in the right corner for a three-pointer that tied the game at 100 with 11.3 seconds on the clock. The Suns had one last chance for a game-winning shot, but Steve Nash's off- balance shot never came anywhere near the cylinder. In the extra frame, Jared Dudley was fouled late and sank two clutch free throws with 5.3 ticks on the clock for a 113-110 Phoenix lead. The Suns smartly fouled Brooks before he could get a three-pointer off on the ensuing possession; he made the first and intentionally fired the second straight into the rim. It came right back to Brooks in the lane, but the referees called a lane violation for leaving too early, and Nash iced the game with two from the stripe at the other end. "I surprised myself, the ref, everybody, so maybe something had to be wrong. It was a hard play, a hard call...that's how it goes," Brooks said of his thwarted follow-up attempt on the missed free throw. The Warriors, meanwhile, dropped their fifth straight game in Oklahoma City on Sunday when Kevin Durant made 16-of-21 shots from the field on his way to a season-high 45 points while pulling down 11 rebounds, as the Thunder held off Golden State, 112-104. Corey Maggette ended with 26 points and five boards for the Warriors, who have dropped nine of 11 overall. Monta Ellis chipped in 25 points. Stephen Curry tallied 14 points and five assists while CJ Watson added 13 points off the bench for Golden State, which fell to 4-20 away from Oakland this season. "We need to work on closing games once we have control in the second half," Curry said.
<< Bulls return home to face Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls return to the cozy confines of the United Center shooting for their sixth consecutive win when they play host to the Los Angles Clippers. The Bulls began a season-long seven-game road trip by dropping the
<< Nets play host to Pistons
<< Caps shoot for record 11th straight win in clash with Bruins
<< Hawks, Thunder collide at Ford Center
<< Lightning try to avoid third consecutive loss against Thrashers
Red-hot Canucks visit struggling Habs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A matchup against one of the NHL's hottest teams won't make it easy for the Montreal Canadiens to break out of their current slump. Doing so without their leading goal scorer figures to add to the challenge. The Vancouver
Surging Coyotes make a stop in Nashville >>
Stars try to continue home mastery of Wild >>
Report: Jets' Sanchez to have surgery >>
Jokinen set to make Rangers debut against red-hot Kings >>
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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