 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Durant paces Thunder to win over HawksBasketball Betting Lines02/02/2010 - Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant poured in 33 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as the Oklahoma City Thunder used a late surge to take down the Atlanta Hawks, 106-99. The dynamic Durant has now scored at least 25 points in 22 straight games for the Thunder, who ended a four-game homestand with a 3-1 mark. Jeff Green donated 19 points and six rebounds while Russell Westbrook chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists for Oklahoma City, which made 27-of-32 free throws. Joe Johnson finished with 37 points for the Hawks, who have dropped two in a row and three of four overall. Josh Smith tallied 15 points and six boards. Smith also had one block to make him the youngest player to block 1,000 shots in the NBA. He reached the mark at the age of 24 years and 59 days. Johnson and Mike Bibby made back-to-back three-pointers near the midway point of the fourth to tie the tilt at 89. However, the Thunder fought back with a 15-6 burst to claim victory. The key part of the run came when Green drained a trey to put Oklahoma City in front 100-93 with 1:42 to play. Thabo Sefolosha capped the flurry with a deuce, making it 104-95 with 38 seconds remaining. The Thunder scored the final six points of the first quarter to deadlock the score at 22. A tight second period followed, with the tilt tied at 49-49 heading to the break. With the scored tied at 55-55 with nine minutes left in the third, Oklahoma City ripped off six consecutive points to build a 61-55 margin on a Durant jumper with eight minutes to go. The Thunder led 79-72 heading to the fourth. Game Notes The Thunder snapped a three-game skid to Atlanta with a 94-91 win in Dixie on January 18. Oklahoma City completed its first home-and-home season sweep of the Hawks since the 2006-07 season when the franchise was based in Seattle...Benoit Benjamin reached 1,000 blocks at the age of 25 years and 128 days. He was with the Los Angeles Clippers when he set the record...Al Horford ended with 14 points and five rebounds for the Hawks, who made 21-of-25 foul shots.
<< Dallas continues mastery of Wild in Texas
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nightmare continues for Minnesota at American Airlines Center. Dallas netminder Marty Turco turned aside 40 shots to backstop the Stars to a 4-2 win over the Wild. Minnesota is winless in its last
<< Halak strong between the pipes as Canadiens cool off Canucks
<< Gordon lifts Clippers past Bulls
<< Coyotes nip Predators in shootout
<< Clemente, Kansas State pound Cornhuskers in Lincoln
Rockets rout Warriors >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry each scored 24 points to lead Houston to its ninth straight win over Golden State in a 119-97 decision at Toyota Center. Trevor Ariza had 18 points and Chuck Hayes pulled down a
Wisconsin handles Michigan State; Lucas injures ankle >>
Avs beat Columbus behind trio of rookies >>
Giants extend spring training invite to pitcher Mota >>
Alouettes sign Diedrick to two-year deal >>
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.
Super Bowl 2009 BettingSuper Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder. Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while. Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books. If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl. Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX. By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI. In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite. So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs. While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl. There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog. In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl: SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots. XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired. XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers. Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard |
|
